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FAIRY TALES 


AND 


LEGENDS OE MANY NATIONS. 

Sdcrtdr, nctolj) tolir, ant* translator, 


, 


/l<4 


BY 


C. B. BURKHABDT. 


ILLUSTRATED BY W. WALCUTT AND J. H. CAFFERTY 


35enn g(an&t rnir, fein SDiciftrrfRM if! fo leidjt 
2(u$ bctti bet fflienfd) ni(f>t iceifec merben fi>nnte. 

SSBiefanb* 

Believe me, there is ne’er so light a fairy tale, 
But that a man May gain in wisdom by it. 

•)o» 


NEW YORK: 

CHARLES SCRIBNER, 

115 NASSAU STREET AND 30 PARK ROW. 

1853. 



I 


Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1848, by 
BAKER & SCRIBNER, 

In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern 

District of New York. 


/ 


C. W. BENEDICT, Stereotyper , 

201 William street, cor. of Frankfort. 


TO 


0 Q 

THE ABLE INSTRUCTRESS AND KIND FRIEND OF YOUTH, 

THIS VOLUME IS RESPECTFULLY 

DEDICATED BY 


THE AUTHOR. 





4 














































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« 









MM ®F M©m&VEN©§. 


FRONTISPIECE “ ONCE UPON A TIME.” 

ILLUSTRATED TITLE-PAGE. 

FACING PAGE 

TONYK GIVES HIS PURSE TO THE BEGGAR-WOMAN, . . 17 

TONYK GIVES HIS HORSE- TO THE. OLD MAN, .... 21 

JACKEY’s FIRST LESSON IN MUSIC, 37 

JACKEY HEARS THE ELFIN LAY, 47 

ASLOG AND ORM ENTER THEIR ROOM AFTER THE DWARFS* 

FEAST, 82 

THE CHEATED FAMULUS, 94 

CASTLES IN THE AIR 104 

PAUDEEN SAVES ALEEN’s LIFE, 122 

A SUICIDE PREVENTED, 133 

SEPPI DISCOVERS THE FAIRY, 156 

POOR PETRUS AND THE “ FETCH-OVER,” . . . .184 


LIST OP ENGRAVINGS 


v i 


FACING FAG* 


THE PICTURE OF THE LORD, 198 

THE TRANSFORMATIONS, 224 


DOM PEDRO, COMMITTING A DOUBLE MURDER, . . . 266 


FAGS 

VIGNETTE TO FIDDLING JACKEY, 65 

“ MIUCCIO, THE DRAGON-KILLER, . . .116 

«* THE LEFERHAWN, 127 

“ THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC., . . . 149 

M THE TRANSFORMATIONS, 224 


DOM PEDRO, THE CRUEL, . . . . . 277 


PREF A© 


It is a well accepted and understood maxim that the 
character of a nation may be learned from its popular songs 
and ballads, that the mind, the habits, and the morals of a 
people may be guided and directed by its song- writers. 
Somebody, who is frequently quoted, has said, “Let me 
make the ballads of a nation, and I care not who makes her 
laws.” Not wishing in any manner to dispute the wisdom 
and truth of this idea, it yet strikes me most forcibly 
that popular traditions, legends and fairy tales exert no 
secondary influence upon the mind of a people, but that 
their power is even greater,, in the same respects, than that 
of ballads and songs. The reasons of this are very obvious ; 
a song or a ballad is often only remembered on account of 
its melody, and the words, if they are remembered at all, 
undergo changes, from time to time, in consequence of 
changes in the language, as well as political changes. The 


PREFACE. 


viii 

tradition, however, which is connected with a peculiarly- 
shaped rock, remains the same as long as that rock shall 
stand ; the legend connected with an old abbey or a castle 
will live in the memory of the inhabitants of its neighbor- 
hood for centuries after the abbey or castle has become a 
ruin; and the .fairy tale told by grandparents to grand- 
children, will be still fresh in the grandchildren’s memory, 
when those children shall in their turn have become grand- 
parents, to be told again by them to new generations. 

Is there one of my adult readers who does not, if he be of 
Anglo-Saxon descent, remember the time when he listened 
attentively to the wonderful stories of the “ Babes in the 
Wood,” or the Little Red Ridinghood,” or if of Germanic 
descent, does not remember some stories of the “ Blocks- 
berg,” or of “ Riibezahl ?” or if of Gallic, still thinks of “ Le 
bon roi Dagobert,” or “ Robin des bois,” &c. ? And cer- 
tainly no one will deny or question the influence of these 
early impressions. 

If the reader agrees with me in the above proposi- 
tion, he will at on6e perceive how useful and interesting to 
the young, as well as to the more mature mind, must be the 
study of national character, custom and habit, through the 


4 


PREFACE. 


ix 


charming medium of legends and fairy tales. There has 
never been any lack of fairy books, but all we have hitherto 
found in the market have been either republications of well 
known and old stories, or newly-invented ones, or written for 
the particular occasion or market for which they were 
intended. The beautiful and popular “ Arabian Nights” 
has generally been the staple article of the former class, 
and the “ Mother Goose” and “ Peter Parley” style, that of 
the latter. 

I have, in the present volume, endeavored, to offer to 
my readers specimens of legends and fairy tales of many 
nations, and of all ages, and as nearly as possible, to select 
such as have a distinct national character, in the subject 
as well as in the style and diction. I have, more- 
over, selected only such as may be read with interest by old 
as well as young, and the language and moral of which are, 
in all cases, unexceptionable. Should the. present volume 
meet with the kind reception which I am sanguine enough to 
hope for it, it will soon be succeeded by several more, as 
it is my intention to make the present, only the first of a 
series under the same general title. 

And now, my dear little reader s, a word with you. Take 
1 * 


PREFACE. 


X 

this volume, and with it in your hand, you can, without 
leaving your room, travel to sunny Italy, or to snowy 
Russia, to the merry Alps or the frowning Hartz mountains 
and hear some of the stories the people of those places tell 
their children, when they are good. And if you are good, 
and read this book attentively, I will soon prepare another, 
which shall contain more stories of all nations, and more 
pretty pictures to gratify you. 

Before closing, I must express my obligations to my 
friends Mr. J. C. Scherpf and Mr. H. Plunkett Grattan. 
To the former, for having furnished me with “ Ilija, the 
Muromian,” a Russian, and “Dom Pedro, the Cruel,” a 
Spanish legend, and to the latter, for having contributed 
his beautiful Irish legend of “ The Leperhawn.” 

C. B. BURKHARDT 


* 

tr 


©©IMTIINITi. 


sAAAA/V^ 


/ 


The Three Alms, .15 

A FAIRY TALE OF BRETAGNE. 

Fiddling Jackey, . . 31 

A FAIRY TALE OF SUABIA. 


Aslog and Orm, or the Giants' and Dwarfs' Feast, 69 


A NORWEGIAN LEGEND. 

The Cheated Famulus, .......... 89 

A LEGEND OF THE CANTON BASLE. 

Miuccio, the Dragon Killer, ....... 99 

A NEAPOLITAN FAIRY TALE. 

The Leperhawn, 119 

A LEGEND OF IRELAND. 

The Breeding Groschen, and the Breeding 

Thaler, .131 

A LEGEND OF SAXONY. 

Seppi, the Goatherd, 153 


A FAIRY TALE OF SWITZERLAND. 


Xii CONTENTS. 

€ h 

Poor Petrus, 173 

A FAIRY TALE OF HOLLAND, 

The Picture of the Lord, 189 

A LEGEND OF ART, 

Ilija, the Muromian, • • . . 205 

A RUSSIAN LEGEND. 

The Transformations, 217 

A LEGEND OF ANCIENT GREECE. 

Dom Pedro, the Cruel, ..... . , 263 

▲ SPANISH LEGE NIX 

* 


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S 





















FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


TlnllE THREE ^\LIMSo 

A FAIRY TALE OF BRETAGNE. 

Many years ago, there lived two young gentlemen, who 
were as rich as they could wish, and as handsome as their 
mother could possibly have desired. They were called 
Tonyk and Mylio. 

Mylio, the elder brother, was about seventeen years old, 
and Tonyk, only fourteen. Both had received an excellent 
education, and their prospects for rank, honor and distinc- 
tion were as good as those of any other young men in the 
land. 

Tonyk was good and kind, always ready to assist the 
needy, and to forgive injuries. His heart was filled with 
human kindness, and his hand ever open to the relief of suf- 
fering humanity. Mylio, however, was close and penurious, 


16 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


would scarcely give the laborer the value of his hire, and 
when he was insulted, revenged himself bitterly, and by all 
the means in his power. 

Their father had died when they were yet very young, 
and their mother, an excellent woman, had educated them 
herself. When the boys had grown old enough, she thought 
of sending them to an uncle, who lived at some distance, 
there to profit by his good advise and example, and ulti- 
mately to inherit his great wealth. 

So one day she gave to each of them a new hat, shoes 
with silver buckles, a sky-blue cloak, a well-filled purse, and 
a good horse, and told them to set out and seek their uncle. 

The two youths started upon their journey, in high spirits, 
and glad to have a chance of seeing a foreign land. They 
travelled so fast, that on the third day already, they had 
reached a strange country, where different trees grew, and 
where the fruits and flowers in the fields were not like those 
they had left behind. 

One morning, as they passed a cross-road, they saw a poor 
woman sitting by a stone crucifix at the roadside, and hiding 
her face in her apron ; Tonyk stopped his horse and inquired 
what ailed her. 






















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Tonyk gi^es bis Purse to the Heggarwoman 


P 17- 
















THE THREE ALMS. 


17 


The poor woman replied, sobbing, that her only son had 
died yesterday, and that she was now all alone in the world, 
and thrown upon the cold charity of strangers. 

Tonyk was moved, but Mylio, who had stopped at a short 
distance, cried : 

“ You certainly do not believe the story of every beggar 
you meet? This woman has designs upon the purses of 
travellers.” 

Tonyk replied : “ Be not so cruel, dear brother. See, 
your harsh words have caused her to weep anew. Only 
look, how much her form and her age. are like our dear 
mother’s.” . ' 

He then turned to the woman, gave her his purse, and 
said : “ Take this, poor woman ! I cannot do much, but 
heaven will help us all.” 

The beggar woman took the purse, kissed it, and said to 
Tonyk : — “ Noble youth, you have made a poor woman 
rich, so don’t disdain to accept from me this nut, which con- 
tains a wasp with a diamond sting. 

Tohyk took the nut, thanked the woman, and proceeded 
on his journey with Mylio. 

They had not gone far, before they came i to the skirts of 


18 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


a forest, where they saw a boy, who was half naked, and 
was searching for something in the holes of the trees, sing- 
ing a melancholy ditty all the while. Sometimes he clap- 
ped his half-frozen hands together, so as to warm them a 
little, and said, in a singing tone : “ Oh, how cold, how 
cold.” And his teeth chattered from very cold. 

At the sight of him, tears started in Tonyk’s eyes, and he 
said to his brother : 

“ Ah, Mylio, how this poor boy must suffer from the 
cold.” 

“ Then he must be of a chilly nature,” replied Mylio ; “ I 
don’t find it so very cold.” 

“ Of course not, for you have a velvet vest, and a cloth 
coat, and a large sky blue cloak on top of that ; but he is 
half naked.” 

“Ha, ha,” laughed Mylio, “but he is only a little 
peasant boy.” 

“Ah,” said Tonyk, “my heart bleeds when I think that 
you might have been born like him. I cannot bear to see 
him suffer so much.” 

0 

At these words he stopped his horse, called the boy and 
asked him what he was doing there. 


THE THREE ALMS. 


19 


“ I catch titmice, that sleep in the hollows of the trees,” 
replied the boy. 

“ And what do you do with them ?” 

“ After I have caught enough, I carry them to town for 
sale, so that I may buy clothes which will keep me as 
warm as if the bright sun shone all the time.” 

“Have you caught any yet?” inquired Tonyk. 

“ But a single one,” replied the boy, pointing to a little 
reed cage which contained a blue tomtit. 

“ Give it to me, I will take it,” said Tonyk, throwing his 
sky blue cloak around the boy. “ "Wrap yourself in this, for 
it is of more value to you than to me.”* 

The two brothers now continued their journey. Mylio 
laughed and jeered his brother, and Tonyk certainly suffered 
a little from the northern wind at first, because he had no 
cloak. But after they had passed the forest, the wind 
abated, the fog disappeared, and the sun began to smile 
through the clouds. 

Soon they came to a meadow, where flowed a little 
rivulet. By its side sat a very old man, all wrapped in 
rags, carrying a beggar’s bag on his shoulder. When he 


20 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


observed the horsemen, he turned towards them with an 
imploring look. Tonyk approached him. “ What do you 
desire, old man?” he inquired, saluting the venerable old 
man with much respect. 

“ Good gentlemen,” he replied, “ you see my hair is grey, 
and my limbs are weak. Age has so disabled me, that my 
legs can no longer support my body. I must die upon this 
spot, unless one of you will sell me his horse.” 

“Sell you one of our horses, you beggar!” cried Mylio, 
in a tone of contempt, “and pray, how could you pay 
for it?” 

“Look at this hollow acorn!” replied the beggar; 
“within that acorn there is a spider, which spins threads 
stronger than steel. Let me have one of your horses, and I 
will give you the acorn with the spider for it.” 

The eldest brother laughed aloud. 

“Did you hear that, brother?” he cried. “I believe that 
old fellow is a most impertinent fool.” 

The younger brother, however, replied mildly ; 

“ A poor man can offer no more than he has.” 

He descended from his horse, approached the old man, 
and said, 

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p 21. 


Tonyh gives laic Horse to the Old Man 


THE THREE ALMS. 


21 


“ I will give you my horse, my good friend, not for the 
price you offer for it, but for the sake of blessed charity.” 

The old man called down a thousand blessings upon the 
charitable youth, and with his aid, mounted the horse and 
disappeared. 

Mylio, however, could not forgive his brother for having 
given away the last alms. 

“Stupid spendthrift,” he exclaimed, angrily, “you must 
be ashamed of the condition to which your own folly has 
reduced you. Perhaps you imagine, that since you have 
disposed of your own, you can share my money, cloak and 
horse, but you are mistaken. You must learn wisdom by 
experience. The want which you will now have to suffer, 
through your own folly, will teach you to be more careful 
in future.” 

“You are right, dear brother,” replied Tonyk, mildly. 
“ It will be no hard lesson to me, and I have no intention 
of escaping it at your expense. It never occurred to me, to 
ask you for money, cloak or horse; ride on quietly and 
happily, and don’t trouble yourself about me.” 

Mylio did not reply, but gave the spurs to his horse and 


22 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


rode on. Tonyk followed on foot, but he entertained no 
ill will towards his brother. 

They were now not far from a mountain pass, through 
which lead their way. This pass or defile, was usually 
called the devil’s glen, for on the top of the rocks, which 
rose on both sides, there dwelled a giant, who constantly 
watched for travellers as a huntsman watches for game. 
This giant was blind and had no feet, but his ear was so 
acute that he could hear the grass grow in the meadows ; 
he was, moreover, a great magician. His servants were 
two trained eagles, a white and a red one, whom he always 
sent out to catch the prey which he heard approach. 
When the people of the neighborhood had to pass this 
mountain gorge, they always pulled off their shoes, walked 
barefooted, and scarcely ventured to breathe for fear that the 
giant might hear them. 

Mylio knew nothing of all this, but rode proudly and 
boldly into the glen ; the noise which his horse’s hoof made 
upon the stones awoke the giant. 

“ Hollo, my huntsmen,” he cried, “ where are ye ?” 

The red and white eagle were quickly at his side. 


THE THREE ALMS. 


23 


M Go and fetch for my supper whatever is just N now 
passing the valley below,” commanded the giant. 

Quick as. lightning, the two eagles shot down to the glen, 
caught Mylio by his sky blue cloak, and carried him 
upwards to the dwelling of the giant. 

At the same instant Tonyk arrived at the entrance of the 
defile. When he saw his brother carried through the air by 
two eagles, he uttered a loud cry, and rushed forward. 
The eagles, however, with Mylio, disappeared in a few 
minutes among the clouds which covered the tops of the 
rocks. 

There stood Tonyk, silent and immovable with terror, 
gazing upon the high, rocky walls which seemed to reach 
to the skies. 

« Oh, my brother, my brother,” he exclaimed, “ how can 
I save my brother ?” 

And suddenly he heard three delicate voices by his side, 
which said : 

“Why, who would despair so quickly, at every little 
misfortune ?” 

Tonyk looked around in astonishment. “ Who spoke to 
me, and where are you?” he inquired. 


24 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


“In your coat-pocket,” replied the three voices. 

Tonyk reached into his pocket and produced the nut, the 
acorn, and the little reed cage. He now remembered the 
three little animals enclosed in them, and inquired : 

“ And would you save my brother Mylio ?” 

“Yes, yes, yes,” replied the three animals in their different 
voices. 

“ And pray, how are you going to do it, you poor little 
playthings?” continued Tonyk. 

“ Open our cages, and you shall see.” 

Tonyk did as he was requested. And the spider hurried 
to a tree close by, and commenced weaving a bright web, 
finer than silk but stronger than steel. Then the tomtit 
came, and took the spider upon her back, and rose higher 
and higher until the web, which formed a sort of staircase, 
reached to the top of the rock. Tonyk now mounted this 
ladder ; the wasp flew before him, humming merrily all the 
way, and thus they reached together the dwelling of the 
giant. 

In a great rocky cave, as high as a church, sat the giant 
without eyes or feet. lie seemed to be in a happy mood, 
for he rocked himself to and fro, and appeared like a great 


TI-IE THREE ALMS. 


25 


poplar tree, shaken by the wind. He was singing a merry 
song and whetting a large knife, to butcher Mylio with. 

The latter lay on the floor, with arms and legs tied upon 

his back, so that he looked like a fowl trussed ready for 

roasting. The two eagles sat in the corners of the fire- 

# 

place, aijd the one was turning the spit, whilst the other 
laid fresh wood upon the fire. 

The noise made by his own song and the whetting of the 
knife, prevented the giant from noticing the arrival of 
Tonyk and his three companions. But the red eagle 
observed him, rushed towards him, and was about to take 
him in his claws, when the wasp flew between them, and 
with her diamond sting picked his eyes out. The white 
eagle wanted to rush to the aid of his brother, but fared no 
better, and was blinded as well as the other. Then the 
wasp flew towards the giant, (who had risen on hearing the 
noise his servants made,) and belabored him most severely 
with the diamond sting. The giant made a terrible noise, 
but he might strike to the right or to the left or anywhere, 
he could not hit the wasp, as he had no eyes to see ; nor 
could he get away, as he had no feet to walk upon. At last 

he threw himself with his face upon the ground, to save that 

2 


26 


LEGENDS AND FAIRY TALES. 


at least from the sharp sting of the wasp. Then the spider 
came and spun a net over him, as fine as silk but as strong 
as steel, and in this he lay captive, and could not move. 

He implored the aid of his two eagles, but in vain 
These had become furious from pain, and when they found 
that the giant was co^uered, they feared him no longer, 
but remembered the long slavery in which he had kept 
them, and the tyranny he had used towards them. They 
rushed upon their late master, beat him with their wings, 
and hacked his flesh through the steel net. At every cut of 
their beaks they pulled out a piece of flesh, and never rested 
until the bare bones made their appearance. Then they 
were satisfied and sat down to rest, but as the flesh of a 
magician is indigestible, they soon fell dead upon the spot. 
.Tonyk now loosened the fetters of his brother, embraced 
him amidst tears of joy, and took him away from the giant’s 
cave to the edge of the rock. And quickly the tomtit and 
the wasp appeared again, and they had harnessed themselves 
like horses to the little reed cage. That cage suddenly 
changed into a splendid carriage and they invited the 
brothers to take seats. The spider, as footman, got up 
behind, and away they went as quick as lightning. 


THE THREE ALMS. 


27 


In this manner, passing easily over meadows, forests* 
mountains and villages — for the roads in the air are all good 
— they quickly reached the castle of their uncle. 

And now the carriage descended to the earth, and rolled 

towards the castle gate, where the brothers found both of 

& 

their horses hitched to posts. On the saddle of the horse 
which belonged to Tonyk, his cloak and purse were 
hanging, only that the purse was larger and much better 
filled, and the cloak was all covered with diamonds and 
precious stones. 

Tonyk turned in astonishment towards the carriage, to 
see what all this meant, but the carriage had disappeared, 
and instead of the wasp, the tomtit, and the spider, there 
stood three bright and beautiful angels. 

In mute wonder and astonishment, the brothers fell upon 
their knees, but the most beautiful and bright of the angels 
approached Tonyk and said : 

“Do not fear us, dear friend. We are called ‘the good 
deeds / we were the poor woman, the half-frozen child, and 
the sick old man. Remain always as good as you have 
hitherto been, and you, Mylio, profit by his example ; for 


28 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


you have now learned that none is so poor but that he can 
be of service to you.” 

At these words they arose, and flew higher and higher 
into the air, until, like swallows, they were lost in the 
clouds. 

Mylio embraced his brother Tonyk, whose good heart 
and kindness had saved him, and since that time, Mylio has 
been as friendly, mild and kind as his brother. 










FO PPL DIM® dJA©'KIY. 

V 

A FAIRY TALE OF SUABIA. 

It was many, many years ago, and nobody yet thought 
of the man who is now telling you this story, when a poor 
little ragged boy sat by the roadside, solitary and alone. 
He had not eaten anything in nearly two days, and was 
wondering where he could get something to-day to still his 
hunger. 

The poor boy no longer had a mother, and his father was 
worse than none; for he was tipsy from early morn till 
late at night ; and when he was so, he scolded and raved, 
swore fearfully and wickedly, and whipped poor Jackey, for 
that was the boy’s name, even as he had used to whip 
Jack’s mother when she was still alive. 

His poor mother had wept so much, and endured so much*' 
sorrow that she died of it. Jackey wept also, but only as 
long as his cruel father was beating him! When the 


32 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


father stopped whipping him, Jack would cry no longer 
but was content and calm, though he often had to fast for 
days together, for his father only had money for beer and 
whiskey, none for bread and meat. Why little Jack was 
content and calm in all this misery, was for two reasons ; 
first, because he was an excellent boy with an honest heart 
and clear conscience — and secondly, there was another 
reason, which I will tell you at length in my story. 

Jackey’s father was the musician of the village, and 
played the fiddle in the taverns, and on the green under the 
linden. Formerly he had played extremely well, so well 
indeed, that the old pastor who had died a few years before 
our story, used to listen to him with pleasure ; but since he 
had become such a confirmed hard drinker, he fiddled and 
scraped so wretchedly, that rats and mice ran away from the 
noise, and dogs and cats got mad, and howled, and whined 
in opposition to his fiddle. The people in the tavern, and 
on the dancing place cared very little whether Jack’s father 
played well or whether he scratched and scraped, as they 
only cared for dancing. But little Jack’s soul was torn by 
these discordant scrapings, for he really loved the fiddle, as 


PIDDLING JACKEY. 


33 


he knew how sweetly it could sing, if his father had only 
chosen to keep sober and play it properly ! 

When the drunken father came home at night, and hung 
the fiddle against the wall, then Jackey would lament and 
weep to see the poor thing so dust covered, and to hear it 
sigh so bitterly, whilst the fiddler lay snoring loudly upon 
the straw. 

At last, little Jack could bear this no longer, so he took 
the liberty of speaking to his father, and said : “ Ah, my dear 
father, you now treat that good fiddle even worse than you 
used to treat my poor mother, or than you treat me. Take 
care, the fiddle, too, will die soon.” 

The father at first stood lost in astonishment, and knew 
not what to answer — at last, however, his anger rose as 
usual, and he beat little Jackey worse than ever, and then 
left the house. 

And this time Jack had to weep longer than usual, for 
the beating had been more severe ; but — listen ! — as he was 
weeping and sighing, the fiddle on the wall, softly, very 
softly, wept and sighed with him. When Jackey heard 
this, he became more sad than before, and he and the violin 


2 * 


34 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


wept together for more than an hour, and Jackey began to 
think they would never stop weeping together. 

However, there is an end to everything ; to weeping and 
to laughing ; and after a while the violin began only to sob 
6oftly, softly, softly. And Jackey did the same, and so after 
a while they had both stopped weeping. But the love 
which little Jack now felt for the violin — I cannot describe 
ft in words ! — He moved a chair against the wall, got on 
top of it, to get the violin down, and began to clean all the 
mud and dust from it. He then fastened the fourth string, 
called E, the one that sings the highest notes, and which 
his father had left hanging just as it had broken ; Jackey 
put it to rights again, and then turned the peg until the 
string gave the right tone. He then kissed the violin and 
was about to hang it upon its place again, when fiddle 
whispered to him softly : “ Jackey, thou art a good boy ! I 
will stay with thee ! thou shalt keep me, and I will sing 
pretty songs for thee and laugh and weep with thee, in joy 
and in sorrow.” 

“ Oh, dear me,” exclaimed Jack, “ indeed I must not. If 
my father should find us thus together, he would kill me, 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


35 


and perhaps would throw you against the wall and break 
you.” 

“Your father shall not hear us,” said violin. “You 
know that he sits in the tavern from now till sundown, and 
does nothing but drink. Come, take me and the bow, and 
go with us to the forest. By the rivulet, there where the 
poplar whispers, and the nightingale sings, there will I teach 
thee how to make me sing, too.” 

“Be it so, in God’s name,” said Jack resolutely. “I 
will do all you request of me.” 

“ And I will do all you want,” said violin. 

“ It is a bargain,” replied Jackey, and he took down the 
bow, and went to that part of the forest where the rivulet 
flows and where the tall poplar trees form a pretty grove. 

“ Welcome, welcome,” murmured the rivulet. “ Wel- 
come, welcome,” lisped the flowers. “ Welcome,” whis- 
pered the branches of the poplar tree. “ Cuckoo, cuckoo,” 
cried the cuckoo, “here is a new musician; welcome, 
cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo !” And the ^goldfinches, and the 
linnets, the siskins and the hedgesparrows, the bullfinches 
and the robbins, all twittered and sung! “Welcome, 
welcome !” 


36 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


“ Oh. how beautiful it is here,” exclaimed Jackey, and he 
sat down by the side of the rivulet, took up the violin and 
said to it : 

“ Now my dear, tell me how I must do, to make thee 
harmonize with these sweet songsters all around me ?” 

And the violin told him all that he had to do, and all 
the little birds came around, to assist in teaching Jackey, 
and each first gave the single notes ; g. a. b. c. d. e. f. — 
f. e. d. c. b. a. g.” Jack endeavored to imitate all these 
upon his fiddle, and he succeeded so well, that all the birds 
were pleased, and cried aloud : “ Bravo, Jackey, bravo !” 

Now the nightingale came also, and she said : “ I will 
sing an aria. Jackey shall be director, and accompany me ; 
the rivulet can murmur the bass, and you all can sing in 
the chorus.” 

“Hark ye, nightingale!” said Jack, “the flower-bells 
must also assist, but they must sound a little louder than 
usual.” 

“You are right!” said the nightingale, “ and the flower- 
cups shall do just as the director orders.” 

And Jackey now beat time, and the whole chorus of 
birds began the concert with a tutti. And now the night • 









































































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Jiiekey's Pirst Lessons in Music 












PIDDLING JACKEY. 


37 


ingale sang — oh, how beautifully she did sing! Jackey 
accompanied her on the violin, and the flower-bells rung 
and sounded like triangles, keeping time with the vocalist. 
All the other voices had to be silent, except the rivulet, who 
murmured a very soft basso accompaniment. 

Then the deer and the gentle doe came from the forest, 
and the little squirrels hopped up and down the trees, and 
the timid rabbits came and sat gracefully on their hind legs, 
and pricked up their ears as most attentive auditors. The 
tall pine trees dropped an abundance of fine rosin, so that 
Jackey could refresh his bow; and thus he played until the 
sun was sinking in the west, and then he had to go home. 
“ Good bye, my dear little singers,” he cried. “ Good bye, 
Sir Director !” replied all. “ Come soon to see us again!” 
and the nightingale sang : 

✓ 

“ Soon — ah soon, 

To the forest green, 

Return, thou lovely boy ! 

I’ll give thee many a toy, 

All we have in forest green. 

Return, ah soon — 

Return thou lovely boy — •” 

And sure enough, Jackey returned every day, and learned 


38 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


more and more to understand all the voices of the forest, 
and to repeat them upon his dear violin. 

About this time it happened that the landlord of the 
village inn, took sick and died, and that his. disconsolate 
widow was looking about her for another husband. But 
she could not easily find a man, for Mrs. Lizz was ugly and 
malicious, had red hair, a crooked nose, and was cross-eyed 
like an old witch. 

Jackey’s father, however, thought to himself : “ Now 
when I marry old Lizz, I can drink just as much as 1 
please, and need not pay for it,” and so he took a strong drink, 
and walked straightways to the young widow. He closed 
his eyes, that he might not see her whilst he spoke a false- 
hood, and said: “Most beautiful of landladies! "Will you 
take me for your husband ? Say yes, and I am yours, and 

we will get married at once.” 

1 

Then the landlady looked at him from head to foot, and 
said ; “It is true, you are a worthless, drunken vagabond ; 
but better such a man than no husband at all ! Here is my 
hand, I will marry you.” 

And they were soon married, and a great deal was drunk 
at the wedding. But soon Jackey’s father observed that he 


PIDDLING JACKEY. 


39 


had made his reckoning without the host, or rather, without 
the hostess, for she gave him nothing to drink but pure 
clear water, and if he once in a while got a glass of grog, 
his vixen of a wife would take the first piece of furniture, 
break it over his head, and beat him half to death. 

In consequence of all this, he became quite melancholy, 
and often wept and sighed : “ Oh, my poor, dead wife ! If I 
had not treated you so badly you would still be alive, and 
not abuse me so horribly as this old dragon ! Oh, my poor, 
poor dead wife! oh! oh!” and thus he would cry for hours. 

When Jackey heard this, he took courage, and, with the 
violin in his hand, approached his father, and began to play, 
and so beautifully, that the father’s mouth stood wide open 
in astonishment, and the tears ran into it, without his 
perceiving it, although they tasted very bitter and salty. 

When Jackey at last stopped playing, his father fell upon 
his neck, and began to weep anew ; but this time they were 
tears of joy. “ Jackey, Jackey,” he exclaimed, “how very 
beautifully you play ! Now I will never, never beat you 
again, but I will go and beg your stepmother to pay school- 
ing for you, that you may go to school and learn some- 
thing.” The stepmother, however, would not consent to 


40 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


that, but said that Jackey must be made a tailor, and she 
would send him to her brother, who was a tailor in the next 
village, to learn the trade with him. When Jackey replied, 
“ no, I won’t be made a tailor of,” she cried, “ you must,” 
and boxed his ear so hard with her large, bony hand, that 
Jackey ’s head spun round, and he was dizzy for an hour. 
This was rather too much for the father to witness, but he 
dared not say anything. 

On the following morning, however, when it was yet 
dark, he crept softly to the larder, took a piece of ham, some 
smoked sausages, and a few rolls, packed them all into a 
bag, and carried them to Jackey ’s bedroom. 

Jackey was still in bed and fast asleep ; he was dreaming 
of his dear forest ; the chamber window was open and the 
sharp morning air swept across the strings of the violin 
which hung over Jackey ’s bed, and made it sing most lovely 
tones. 

The father looked for a few moments upon his sleeping 
boy and wept as if his heart would break ! Then he col- 
lected himself, and bending over the bed, awoke Jackey 
with a kiss. The boy opened his eyes, but still half asleep, 
he asked : “ What do you want, nightingale V* 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


41 


“Jackey, Jackey,” cried the father, “what are you 
talking about ? I am not a nightingale* but your father.” 

“Ah, dear father,” cried Jack, jumping nimbly from tht 
bed, “ how very kind and friendly you are to-day.” 

“ Dress yourself, Jackey,” said the father, “ dress yourself, 
take the violin and follow me ; but very softly, so that no 
one awakes.” 

Jack did as his father had requested. He dressed himself, 
took the violin and the bow, and followed his father out of 
the house. 

Without speaking a word both walked towards the forest, 
and when they came to the rivulet, the father said : « Here, 
Jackey ! Let us be seated, and then listen to me atten- 
tively.” Both seated themselves, and the father began : 

“ See, my child, I committed great and wicked sins, by 
my conduct towards your poor dead mother, and it is most 
certain that sorrow and trouble, as well as my cruelty, 
brought her to an untimely grave. Heaven punished me 
for it, when I married your cruel, wicked stepmother. I 
know the justice and the use of this punishment and will 
bear it as long as God is willing to inflict it. But you, my 
good little boy, shall not suffer by it, and as I am not strong 


42 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


enough to protect you against your wicked stepmother, go 
forth in God’s name into the wide world, to seek your living. 
The great Father, who rules all the . world, will not suffer a 
good boy like you to perish, and you will find good people 
everywhere to assist the helpless. You especially, Jackey, 
will easily make your fortune, as soon as folks shall hear 
you play. If I am right, think of your poor father, and 
come back to deliver him from his misery, if he has not 
died meanwhile. Now take my blessing, some provisions 
for the first few days, and a farewell kiss — and go, like a 
good boy, and don’t weep ! for we all must part at last.” 
Jackey hung about his father’s neck, and would scarcely 
leave him. 

“ I don’t mind a whipping sometimes,” he cried, “if I 
must not leave you alone, dear father, with my wicked step- 
mother.” But the father said : “ I know what is good for 
you, so do just as your father says.” 

Then Jackey slowly dropped his arms which had clung 
around his father’s neck, and said, sadly: “ Faiewell, then, 
my dear, good father.” 

And then the tree-tops, and the flowers, and the grass 
shuddered and rustled louder than before ; and towards the 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


43 


east the first dawn of morning appeared through the 
foliage. 

“ If your fingers are not too cold, Jackey, I would ask 
you to play something for me before we separate.” 

Quickly Jack took up the violin, and began to play — and 
when the birds heard him, they, too, became lively and sang 
with him : 

Trrili! Trrili! 

Cuckoo ! 

Morning air ! morning air ! 

Fans the forest everywhere. 

Over rock and over sand, 

Runs the streamlet through the land. 

Trrilli ! Trrili! 

Ti! 

Cuckoo ! 

Trrili ! Trrili ! 

Cuckoo ! 

Robins dear ! Robins dear ! 

And all other birds come here, 

Hare, and doe, and graceful deer, 

Old and young now all draw near. 

Trrili ! Trrili ! 

Ti! 

Cuckoo ! 

Trrili! Trrili! 

Cuckoo \ 


44 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Ether blue ! Ether blue ! 

From the leaflets falls the dew, 

And the sun now rises high, 

Little flowret ope thine eye. 

Trrili ! Trrili ! 

Ti! 

Cuckoo ! 

Cuckoo ! Cuckoo ! 

Trilli ! — Ti — Ti 

Thus the birds sang, whilst Jackey was playing. When 
he had finished, and looked around for his father, the latter 
had walked away weeping, and was already out of the 
forest. Jackey had almost ran after him, but he remem- 
bered what his father had requested of him, and determined 
/ * 

to obey. What else he should do for the present he knew 
not, but he confided in his Heavenly Father, who would 
guide everything for the best. 

So he washed his face in the rivulet, spoke a short 
morning prayer, took from his bag a piece of bread and a 
bit of ham, and made his breakfast — not forgetting the little 
birds who confidingly hopped about him, and begged for a 
few breadcrumbs. After having finished his repast, he 
cleaned and dusted his dear fiddle, tuned it very correctly, 


FIDDLING JACKET, 


45 


as his father had latterly taught him, played scales for half 
an hour, so as not to neglect his practice, and trusting to 
fortune, proceeded further into the forest. 

Thus he walked on all the day, and the forest seemed to 
have no end. Jackey cared little for that, since his bag 
was well filled with provisions, and the forest was cool and 
shady. And he had no lack of pastime, for his violin told 
him most beautiful stories, and every now and then, he 
would meet a robin, or a linnet or a goldfinch who was 
acquainted with him, and he would have a moment’s 
friendly chat with him. 

Then the sun began to sink again towards the west, and 
his departing rays illumed the tree branches, and at last 
ascended to the tops ; there they rested awhile, but at last 
disappeared even from there, and now it grew darker and 
darker in the forest. But it was not long before the full 
moon arose on the opposite side, and bright glowworms 
flitted through the bushes, and suddenly a large beautiful 
lake burst upon his view, which reflected back the light of 
the moon, and the nightingale began to sing, and — oh, 
everything was so beautiful. 


46 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Jackey at least thought so, for he determined to pass the 
night here ; he selected a comfortable, moss-covered place, 
lay down upon it, and after having eaten his supper, he 
once more examined his fiddle, said “ good night” to it, and 
put it into the bag, so that the night dew should not injure 
it. He then said his prayer and prepared for sleep. 

But suddenly a mild and gentle light illumed the whole 
forest, and it seemed as if the moon shone thrice as bright 
as before, and the bright glowworms appeared multiplied to 
millions. 

But that was the least of the wonders’ For soon every 
thing around began to be alive, and from the bushes and 
the flower-cups, small beautiful beings of human form 
appeared, but so lovely, so light, and so small and fragrant, 
that it was easy to see they were spirits, and not human 
beings. There was not one among them as large as 
Jackey, but their faces were those of youths and full-grown 
maidens ; they were dressed in transparent garments, and 
in their hair they wore wreaths of lilies, more beautiful than 
silver. Two among them were a little larger than the rest, 
and wore silver crowns on their heads instead of wreaths. 

I 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


47 


“ That must certainly be the king and queen,” thought 
Jackey, and kept as quiet as a mouse. 

The king had selected a place where the moon shone 
brightest. Here he touched the ground with his lily 
sceptre, and immediately silver lilies sprung up and formed 
a beautiful throne, .on which he and his queen seated them- 
selves. The rest of the elves (for that is the name of those 
lovely little sprites,) rocked themselves upon flowers, and 
upon the stripes of fog which had arisen from the sea, and 
laughed, and chatted, and drank honey from the cups of 
mayflowers. 

But when the moon stood directly over the forest, and 
everything partook of its brilliancy, the king gave a sign 

with his sceptre, and all the elves began to sing and dance 

\ 

in a circle. 

Ye elves, ye elves, that wake to night, 

Our friend, the moon, shines clear and bright, 

Come hither all, come hither, 

And quickly join the dance. 

Softly, softly, 

Softly, softly, 

Sounds by nigln the elfin lay, 


48 


FAIRY TALES AND LEOENDS. 


When no list’ner can be near, 

Then we dance our time away, 

’Till the song is done. 

Flowers breath and lunar rays, 

Dewdrops, ay, and glowworms blaze, 

Carry us about at night, 

To the left and to the right. 

Softly, softly, 

Softly, softly, 

Sounds by night the elfin lay, 

When no list’ner can be near, 

Then we dance our time away, 

’Till the song is done. 

Softly here, softly there, 

Here — there — here — there — 

Away — way — way — ay 

And as they sung thus, and the tones became softer and 
softer, the little fairy beings melted away, until at last 
nothing more could be seen or heard of them. 

But Jackey suddenly jumped up, and exclaimed : “ Oh, 
what have I heard, what have i heard ! — Violin, violin, did 
you hear it, too ?” 

“ Certainly, Jackey !* whispered the fiddle, “ it was the 
elfin dance, which mortals cannot resist when they hear it.’* 
14 Oh, if you could sing that air, violin,” 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


49 


“ Take me from the bag, and try it.” 

Jack quietly took the fiddle out, and was about to com- 
mence playing ! when suddenly the nightingale came and 
said : “ Don’t do it now, Jackey ! and don’t do it here in the 
forest. If you play that air at night, and in the forest, the 
little people will come back, and beat you and pinch you till 
you are black and blue all over, and they will bewitch the 
violin, that it cannot sing again. Wait until it is day, then 
I will fly before you, and show you the way out of the 
forest.” 

“ Thank you, nightingale !” said Jack, and he put the 
fiddle back into the bag, lay down again upon his mossy 
bed, and was soon fast asleep. Above him sat the night- 
ingale upon a tree and sang a lullaby. 

When the sun again rose in the heavens, Jackey awoke, 
remembered everything that had happened yesterday, 
and could scarcely await the time when he should be 
allowed to repeat the elf-song. He therefore washed 
himself, quickly said his morning prayer, and only ate a very 
little breakfast. Then he called out, “ Nightingale, I am 
ready !” and nightingale flew before him until the forest 

was at an end, and Jackey could plainly see the highway. 
3 


50 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Then the nightingale and all the other birds said “good 
bye” to him, and begged him “ soon to come again.” 
Jackey promised to do so, and then walked towards the 
highway. 

The4irst thing he did here, was to tune the violin and to 
try the elfin dance at once. At the very first trial he suc- 
ceeded — better yet the second time, and after having played 
it the third time, he exclaimed joyously: “Bravo, violin, 
we can do it and now he sat down contentedly to take 
his breakfast. 

As the sun rose higher, it became very hot and Jackey 
looked around him for a shelter. 

To the left from the highway there was a large village, 
which was probably a mile off, and Jackey cheerily bent his 
way in that direction. 

When he had arrived at the village it was just dinner 
time, and the steam of cooking arose from the different 
houses, and was most inviting to Jack # s senses — for his bag 
had become very light. He opened it, however, -and on 
examining the contents, he found to his horror, that his last 
smoked sausage was a wooden one, only a show sausage, 
which his stepmother had used to hang in the window as a 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


51 


sign, that she had sausages for sale. Jackey’s father had 
made the mistake in the dark, and perhaps in consequence 
of being in too great a hurry, Jackey had therefore nothing 
left to eat but a stale bit of bread and a small bit of salt 
pork. 

He now stood before the tavern where several teamsters 
with freight-wagons were stopping. At the door, his 
hands folded over his pot-belly, stood the landlord, and 
seemed lazily to sun himself. 

In the room, however, the windows of which were open, 
there were the teamsters and others, eating sourcrout and 
bacon, the favorite German national dish, which makes the 
Germans so strong, healthy and honest. 

Jackey approached, stretched his neck, and looked 
longingly through the window at the large dish of 
sourcrout. 

When the fat landlord observed him in this position, he 
said : “ Hollo, you stupid boy, why are you standing there, 
peeping through the window, as if you were hungry. If 
you want to gain a dish of sourcrout and a piece of bacon, 
take out your fiddle and play something for my worthy 
guests, so that they grow merry and drink the more.” 


52 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Jackey needed no second request to do this, but at once 
took up his fiddle and began to play the elfin dance. 

Oh, gracious ! how the fat landlord opened his big mouth, 
his eyes and his ears, when he heard this most lovely 
melody ! The guests dropped their knives and forks — they 
forgot to eat — the waiters and the barmaid forgot their 
business, and in a very short time, almost the whole village 
was collected around the little fiddler. The old people 
scarcely ventured to breathe, the youths and maidens smiled 
at each other, but the little boys and girls danced around 
Jackey, who continually commenced the melody anew, and 
played it still more beautifully, the oftener he repeated it. 

At last he was tired and dropped his bow, and all sighed 
“ah,” as if awaking from a delightful dream. The fat 
host, however, was weeping for joy, and exclaimed: 
“ Sourcrout ! give him sourcrout, and ham, and eggs, and 
sausages, and whatever the dear boy wants. Do you hear, 
my boy, whatever you want, and as much as you want, for 
nothing I have can pay you for that music.” And he 
stooped, though with much difficulty, for he was so very 
fat, and embraced Jackey, and conducted him into the 


PIDDLING JACKEY. 


53 


house, where he made him sit at the head of the table, and 
had him waited upon like a most honored guest. 

The host then sent for the village tailor, who was ordered 
at once to make new and handsome clothes for Jackey; 
then the saddler had to make him a new knapsack, the 
shoemaker made him a pair of new shoes, the schoolmasters 
wife presented him with a new cap, and the Burgomaster’s 
wife gave him six new shirts — and he might have had 
much more, if he could only have carried all along with 
him. 

The landlord would much rather that Jackey had 
remained with him, but our brave boy took his violin, 
played and sung : 

Let me wander, I must wander, 

Don’t you hear the forests call % 

Branches rustle, flowers whisper, 

Hark the birds ! they want me all. 

Let me wander, let me wander, 

Wand’ring only gives me joy. 

Through the forest, through the meadow, 

Through the valley, o’er the hill, 

Over rivers, over mountains, 

Onward let me wander still. 


54 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Let me wander, let me wander, 

Wand’ ring only gives me joy. 

Let me wander, let me wander ; 

Ere I go, I’ll sing you yet, 

Fairy, elf and minstrel stories, 

Which your heart will not forget. 

Let me wander, let me wander, 

Wand’ring only gives me joy. 

“ Go, then, in God’s name, my dear boy,” said the host, 
on the following morning, when Jackey thanked him a 
thousand times for his kindness, and bade him a final 
farewell. “ Go your ways, and when you come to the city, 
only play away upon your fiddle, and you will not want 
money or friends.” He then handed him his knapsack, which 
was well filled with provisions, and a little bottle of sweet 
wine, and Jackey left the village, singing and playing as he 
tramped along. And thus he passed from village to village, 
from town to town, from one kingdom to another, and 
wherever he played, old and young ran to hear him, and 
became happy. But of the elfin melody, people could never 
oecome satisfied, and whenever he played that , they were 
willing to give him everything he asked for, or do any 
service for him. 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


55 


Jackey had gradually grown to be eighteen years old, 
was a very handsome boy, with beautiful, long, chestnut 
ringlets, large, dark eyes, fresh lips and rosy cheeks. He 
had no money, for he cared nothing for it, but because he 
had always preserved a pure and honest heart, the birds, 
flowers and forest trees loved him as well as ever, and still 
conversed with him as if he were yet a child, and his dear 
violin never left his side, but became more tuneful the 
longer she was with him. Thus it is, my dear little readers, 
with everything and everybody ; if you are good yourself, 
then all that is good and pure will befriend you. 

Jack and his violin had in this manner become known far 
and near through the whole world, and little children 
everywhere clapped their hands with joy, when they heard 
that “ Fiddling Jackey,” — as he was everywhere called, — • 
was coming their way. Thus he at last came to a great 
foreign country, where he was not, however, allowed to 
play, since the whole country was in mourning, as the 
Queen had just died, and her daughter, the most beautiful 
Princess, lay upon her death bed, having grieved too much 
at the loss of her beloved mother. The King, her father, 
whose only child she was, was almost despairing about her, 


56 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


and had promised half of his kingdom to the physician who 
should save her life. 

But not one of all the doctors could succeed. The learned 
gentlemen certainly said, that if they could manage to 
enliven, and awaken, and make her, by a pleasant excite- 
ment, forget her grief, she would soon grow better, but how 
to enliven her, they knew not, for every attempt had 
hitherto failed. 

Then the King caused the following public proclamation 
to be made : “ Whoever shall cure the Princess, shall be, 
after the King, the first man in the land, and if the Princess 
will marry him, he shall be the inheritor of my throne.” 

But no one had the courage to undertake it, as the doctors 
had all declared that the Princess could not be saved. 

Jackey now thought to himself: “ With the help of God, 
I will try it ; and if the beautiful Princess won’t have me 
afterwards — why, it’s no matter ! I shall, at any rate, have 
saved a good daughter, and preserved a child to her father. 
Oh, heavens,” he continued with a sigh, “perhaps my own 
poor father may be helped by the same means.” 

He walked boldly to the castle, and when he told the 
guards that he had come to cure the Princess, they at once 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


57 


conducted him to the King, who had commanded them not 
to send anybody away, no matter how poor or humble, as 
he would leave no means untried by which he might save 
his dear child. The guards, therefore, and all the servants 
of the court, had to make an exception to their usual rule, 
and had to be polite to humble and poor people for once. 

When Jackey with his fiddle, appeared before the King, 
the latter looked astonished, and said : “ Then you are the 
person who will restore the Princess, and save her life V* 

And Jackey modestly replied : “Sir King, I cannot 
promise that, with a certainty, for one higher than either of 
us, rules over life and death ; moreover, I have not yet seen 
the Princess, but I know what is said to be her sickness, 
and my remedy is always good for a sorrowing heart, and if 
I don’t save her life, she shall at least sleep peacefully, and 
die without pains.” 

When the King heard this, he was moved to tears, and 
said : “ Well, I will conduct you to her chamber, and you 
may try your remedy. I cannot bear to see her in hei 
present state.” 

And he ordered Jackey to be conducted to the chamber 

of the Princess. Arrived there, Jack ordered everybody 
3 * 


58 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


out of the room, except the principal waiting woman, and 
the head physician. He then approached the bed where 
the Princess lay with her eyes closed, and her face deadly 
pale, even as if death were already upon her. Long he 
gazed at her, then seated himself at a little distance from 
the bed, and commenced playing. First he played a very 
soft andante , like the whispering of the forest leaves when 
the evening zephyr plays among the trees, and softly, 
soothing, and consoling as a heart might speak to a heart, 
when sorrow and sympathy bring two souls together. The 
Princess now raised her eyelids, and sighing softly, said : 
“ What is this? where am I?” 

Heavens !” exclaimed the head doctor, “ heavens ! she 
speaks again!” and quickly one of the servants from the 
antechamber hastened to the King, and said : “ Wonder, 
wonder, your Majesty, the Princess Kas graciously con- 
descended to speak again!” 

And Jackey continued to play, and the nightingale’s 
song, and the birds’ chorus, and the basso of the rivulet 
mingled together, and he repeated all that he had often 
heard in the forest. 

The Princess now began to smile, and a slight blush 


FIDDLING JACKEY. 


59 


returned to her cheeks. “Ah, sweet nightingale,” she 
whispered, “ bring me flowers and. pretty pebbles.” 

And again the head physician sent a messenger to the 
King, to say, that “ she now was saved, if she could only be 
made to fall into a gentle slumber.” 

And Jackey played the nightingale song softer and softer, 
till it gradually seemed to die away, and only a soft whisper 
as the breath of a gentle wind could be heard in the room. 
Suddenly, however, the tones began to tremble like the rays 
of the moon, and now the flower-bells began to ring and the 
glowworms to hum, until at last he came to the elfin dance, 
which he now played so beautifully, that the elves them- 
selves could not have played it better. 

But how shall I recount all that happened now? The 
King himself had hastened to the spot, and saw the Princess 
sitting up in her bed, with clear eyes and a happy smile 
upon her face. He wanted to rush to her, but he, as well as 
all others, was charmed by the sweet elfin lay, and could 
only listen with delight, and all the servants of the palace 
crowded round the door to listen and be charmed. 

When Jackey had played the elfin dance thrice over, 
and then stopped, the Princess sunk back upon her pillow, 


60 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


and fell into a gentle sleep, and her cheeks bloomed again 
like young roses, and her breath was light and soft, her 
pulse composed and regular. 

The head physician observed and examined closely all 
these symptoms, then walked joyfully to the King and said : 
* Sire, she is saved!” 

Then the king came to Jackey, embraced him, and hung 
a golden chain around his neck, and ordered to have 
splendid clothes given him and to have him treated in 
every respect like a Prince of the royal blood. 

On the following morning the Princess was well and 
hearty as ever, and consoled at the loss of her mother. 
Then the King presented her preserver to her, and she 
immediately declared, that she was ready to fulfil the 
promise made by her father, and in a few days after, 
Jackey and the beautiful Princess were solemnly married. 

Immediately after the wedding, Jackey begged his father- 
in-law to allow him to take a journey with his wife and a 
small retinue. The King willingly consented, and Jackey, 
with the Princess and their household, journeyed towards 
the village where Jackey was born. As he passed through 
the forest, he remembered all the old trees, and the trees 


FIDDLING JACKET. 


61 


knew him, and they told the children and grandchildren of 
the birds who had lived here ten years ago, all about little 
“ Fiddling Jackey; and all the birds came to see him, and 
also the old cuckoo, who was the only one of the old birds 
still alive ; he came and brought his whole family with 
him. From him Jackey learned that his stepmother was 
dead, but that his father was still alive, and came every 
evening and seated himself by the side of the streamlet, on 
the spot where he had parted from Jackey, ten years ago. 

Then Jack had at once a beautiful tent erected in the 
forest, and had the outside of the tent entirely hidden by 
trees and bushes, and then he gave some orders to the old 
cuckoo, who immediately flew away to execute them. 
The Princess and her ladies entered the tent, but the rest 
of the retinue had to seek hiding places in the neighborhood. 

When the sun was sinking in the west, an old man came 
slowly down the forest path towards the streamlet. Jackey 
quickly recognized his father, and could scarcely restrain 
himself from rushing towards him and throwing himself 
into his arms. 

The old man seated himself by the stream, looked at it 
with tears in his eyes, and said : 


62 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


“Tell me, streamlet, hast thou never seen my Jackey 
again ?” 

{J No !” murmured the streamlet, in a melancholy tone. 

“And you?” he continued to ask, as he looked up at the 
tree, where the cuckoo was sitting. 

* Cuckoo!” cried the bird, “let us hope.” 

“ Alas !” said the old man, “ all the playmates of Jackey 
<ire dead. The nightingale and the goldfinch, the linnet, 
the siskin and the merry bullfinch ; of all the creatures who 
loved him, only you and I are remaining, and we are both 
old and weak. My voice trembles, and your call is no 
longer as strong as it was when the whole forest used to 
hear it, — we have hoped and hoped, but Jackey never came 
back. Alas, cuckoo, what if Jackey has died, as all his 
playmates have died ?” 

“ Ah, no, old man,” said cuckoo,” let us still hope ; the 
swallows, who returned a short time ago, from a voyage, 
told me of one who must resemble Jackey very much, if 
it is not himself — but hark ! the young nightingale is 
beginning to sing;” and really the nightingale commenced 
a melody, but it was not long, when another melody was 
heard — a tune, which the old man remembered only too 


FIIDLING JACKEY. 


63 


well ! He jumped up — clapped his hands, but was so weak 
that he sunk down again, exclaiming, “Heavens, is it 
possible 1” 

Then the tones became louder, and merry bugles were 
heard, and the trees shook their tops with joy, and the 
* flowers rung their little bells, and hare, and deer, and doe 
danced merrily and without fear. 

Then the old man cried loudly. “ Huzzah ! it is Jack, it 
is my Jackey ! and that is our dear fiddle ! Oh, come, come 
to your poor old father.” 

And suddenly Jackey appeared, and rushed into his 
father’s arms, and both hugged and kissed each other, and 
wept for joy. But the music of the forest continued more 
merrily than before, and the cuckoo and his whole family 
cried with all their might, “ cuckoo, cuckoo,” which 
sounded very much like " hurrah, hurrah.” 

When father and son had somewhat recovered from the 
tumult of their joy, the young Princess and her retinue, 
came up also. Jackey told everything to his father, and 
presented his young and beautiful bride to him, who 
hesitated not to kiss the old father of her husband. 

As there was no house large or comfortable enough in the 


64 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


village, the party concluded to pass the night in the tent, 
and to erect two or three more for the servants. But the 
old cuckoo laughed and said : “ Spare your labor. I have 
already spoken to the master of the forest, and provided 
everything necessary.” 

At night when all were fast asleep, the cuckoo came to 
the Prince’s tent, awoke him, and said : “ Arise, your 
friends and protectors ^re coming and when Jackey arose, 
he heard the elfin lay in the distance. Quickly he took up 
his violin, and followed cuckoo, playing all the way. 

When he came to the large open place in the forest, he 
saw all the elves collected, and the King and Queen upon 
their throne. And Oberon beckoned him with a friendly 
smile, and said : “ You have been favored as no mortal was 
favored before ; you have heard our elfin lay, and may now 
confer pleasure and happiness with it, upon your fellow 
men. As long as you remain good and innocent as you 
have hitherto been, you may retain the magic gift, and we 
will ' love and protect you. Now return to your kingdom, 
confer pleasure and happiness wherever you can, and you 
shall always be happy.” And Oberon winked and the 
elfin dance began anew, and Jackey felt himself raised by 


FIDDLING. JACKEY. 


65 


invisible hands, and gently carried through the air. In a 
few minutes he was in the splendid saloon of the palace, 
and his wife, his father and the King stood around him, and 
he related everything to them. 

For many years he lived happy and contented, and when 
the old King and his father were dead, he became King, 
and his reign was marked by wisdom and goodness. He 
never forgot the voice of the forest, and still continued at 
times to play the elfin lay, and if he has not died since, he 
is probably alive to this day. 



) 
























t 






I 









































t 



















A§L©Q AN© ©GUM, 

OR THE GIANTS’ AND DWARFS’ FEAST. 

A NORWEGIAN LEGEND. 

In Norway, not far from the famous city of Drontheim, 
there lived once upon a time, a great and noble man, who 
seemed blessed with every earthly luxury. A great part of 
the country around belonged to him; numerous herds 
grazed upon his meadows ; rich fields and forests surrounded 
his mansions, and a large number of servants was in con- 
stant attendance to his call. He had an only daughter, 
called Aslogy the celebrity of whose beauty had spread far 
and near. The first young nobles of the land sought her 
hand, but all in vain ; and those who had come, full of hope 
and expectation, returned from their visits in sadness and 
silence. 

The father, who believed that his daughter only refused 


70 


FAIRY TAJ.ES AND LEGENDS. 


all these suitors to wait for a still greater and more exalted 
match, did not interfere, but was pleased at the prudence, 
and, as he believed, wordly wisdom of his daughter. But 
when at last the first of the nobles and the richest of the 
land had in vain wooed her, and all met refusals, the father 
became angry and said to her : 

“ Hitherto, I have given thee free choice ; but since I 
now perceive that all, without distinction of rank, are 
rejected by thee, and that the very best suitor in the land 
does not seem good enough, I must interfere. Shall my 
house and race die away with me, and my vast possessions 
fall into the hands of strangers ? I will curb the obstinacy 
of thy temper. I give thee from this until Christmas time 
to choose ; select a husband before then, or be prepared to 
receive him whom I shall select for thee. ,, 

Now Aslog loved a brave and noble youth, called Orm. 
She loved him with her whole soul, and would rather die 
than give her hand to another. But Orm was poor, and his 
poverty compelled him to serve in the house of her father. 
Their love was kept a secret between the two, for her proud 
father would never have given his consent to her marriage 
with a serving-man. 


/ 


ASLOG AND ORM. 


71 


'When Aslog saw the frown upon her father’s brow, and 
when she heard his cruel words, she turned pale as death, 
for she well knew his temper, and knew that he never failed 
to fulfil his threats. Without therefore replying a word, 
she retired to her solitary chamber, and bethought herself 
how she might escape the danger which so threateningly 
hung over her head. On the morning of the very day 
when her father uttered those cruel words, sh* had been 
secretly married, by a hermit, who lived in a cave not far 
from her father’s mansion, and who loved her as well as 
Orm, for the kindness and goodness of their dispositions. 

Of this marriage she dared not tell her fathe**, as he 
would certainly kill them both; meanwhile the blessed 
Christmas time drew nearer, and their fears and sorrows 
increased from day to day. 

At last the lovers concluded to fly. “ I know a safe 
asylum,” said Orm, “where we can remain undiscovered 
until we find an opportunity to leave the country.” 

In the night, when all were asleep, the bold Orm 
conducted the trembling Aslog over snow and ice towards 
the mountains. The moon and the stars, which always 
shine brighter when the snow is upon the ground, were th^ 


72 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


only lights to guide them. They had taken a few clothes 
and skins with them, which was all they could carry. 
They wandered all night among the mountains, until they 
reached a solitary place, surrounded by rocks. Here Orm 
conducted the over-fatigued Aslog into a cave, the dark and 
narrow entrance to which was scarcely visible ; but soon it 
widened to a great hall which led into the mountain. Orm 
here lighted a fire, by which they seated themselves, resting 
upon the rocks, and excluded from all the world besides. 

Orm was the first who had ever discovered this cave, 
which to the present day bears his name, and is shown to 
the curious traveller ; and since nobody else knew of its 
existence, the lovers were safe from persecution. Here they 
passed the entire winter. Orm used to follow the chase, 
whilst Aslog remained in the cave, kept up the fire and 
prepared their meals. Ofttimes she would ascend to the 
tops of the rocks, but, as far as her eye could reach, she 
could discover nothing but glimmering fields of ice and 
snow. 

At last spring came; the forests became green, the 
meadows donned their variegated dresses, and now Aslog 
could but rarely, and with the utmost caution emerge from 


ASLOG AND ORM. 


■70 
s. * ~ 


the cave. One evening about this time, Orm returned 
home with the news that he had in the distance seen her 
father’s people, and that he was certain of having been 
recognized by them, since they were hunters, and as sharp- 
sighted as himself. “ They will surround this place,” he 
continued, “ and never rest until they have found us ; we 
must, therefore, leave this, at once.” 

They consequently descended the other side of the moun- 
tain, and reached the sea-shore, where they luckily found a 
boat. They left the beach in this, and the boat drifted far 
into the open sea. Thus they had certainly escaped pursuit, 
but were now exposed to dangers of another kind ; whither 
should they turn ? They dared not venture to land, for 
Aslog’s father was master of the entire coast, and they 
would be certain of falling into his hands. Nothing 
therefore remained for them, but to leave the boat to the 
tender mercies of wind and waves. And thus they passed 
the whole night. At daybreak the coast had disappeared, 
and they saw nothing but sky and water. They had not 
brought a mouthful of provision with them, and soon 
hunger, but more than that, thirst began to torture them. 

Three days they passed in this state upon the wild waves 
4 


74 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


and the exhausted and weary Aslog expected that every 
moment would be the last of their existence. 

At last, at the end of the third day, they discovered an 
island of tolerably large size, which was surrounded by a 
multitude of smaller islands. Orm immediately steered 
towards it, but as he approached, there arose a terrible wind, 
and the waves rose higher and higher. He changed the 
course of his boat, in hopes to be able to land on another 
side, but he met with no better success ; as often as his 
frail bark approached the shore, it seemed to be driven back 
by an invisible power. 

“Merciful God!” he exclaimed, looking towards poor 
Aslog, who seemed to be dying of exhaustion. Scarcely 
had that exclamation passed his lips, when the storm 
ceased* the waves became calm, and the boat landed 
without further trouble. Orm leaped ashore ; a few shell- 
fish, which he found on the beach, soon revived and 
strengthened the exhausted Aslog, so that she also could 
leave the boat. 

The island was nearly all overgrown with low trees and 
bushes, and seemed uninhabited ; but after they had walk- 
ed to about its centre, they discovered a house, which 


ASLOG AND ORM. 


75 


seemed to be built partly under and partly above the ground. 
In the hope of finding human assistance, they approached. 
For some time they listened, expecting to hear voices and a 
noise within, but nothing except the deepest silence 
prevailed. At last, Orm opened the door, and entered with 
his companion ; how great was their astonishment, to find 
everything apparently prepared for inhabitants, whilst they 
could not discover a human being, or even the trace of a 
footstep except their own, anywhere. The fire was burning 
brightly upon a hearth in the middle of the room, and over 
it hung a kettle of fish, evidently waiting for somebody to 
make a meal thereof. Beds stood ready made, to receive 
sleepers. For a long time, Orm and Aslog stood hesitat- 
ing, and looked at the luxuries around them in fear 
and astonishment. At last hunger overcame them, and 
they took the meal prepared for them, and ate. After their 
hunger was appeased, and they could not yet see or hear 
any one far or near, they yielded to their fatigue, and laid 
down upon the beds, a luxury they had not enjoyed in a 
long time. 

They had expected to be awakened during the night by 
the returning proprietor of the house, but they wer» 


76 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


mistaken. On the following day, also, nobody came, and it 
seemed as if some invisible power had prepared the house 
for their reception. They passed a most pleasant summer 
at this house ; true, they were alone, but they did not miss 
society much. The eggs of wild birds which they found, 
and the fish they caught, gave them plenty to live upon. 

When autumn arrived, Aslog bore a son. In the midst 
of their joy at his appearance, they were surprised by 
another strange visitor. The door opened very suddenly, 
and an old woman entered. She wore a beautiful sky-blue 
dress, and her whole demeanor seemed proud, but at the 
same time strange and unearthly. 

“Don’t be frightened,” she said, “at my sudden appear- 
ance ; I am the owner of this house, and thank you for 
having kept everything in good order, and so clean and tidy 
as I find it. I would gladly have come sooner, but could 
not come before the arrival of that little heathen there; 
(pointing to the boy,) but now I have free access ; but don’t 
you go to call a priest from afar to baptize him, else I must 
away again. If you obey my wishes, you may not only 
remain here, but I will confer every favor you may wish, 
upon you. Whatever your hand touches will have success, 


ASLOG AND ORM. 


/ 


77 


and fortune will follow you withersoever you go. If you 
break these conditions, depend upon it, that misfortune will 
follow you forever, and even upon your child will I avenge 
myself. If you need anything, or find yourselves in any 
danger, you have only to call thrice upon my name, and ] 
will appear and come to your assistance. I am of the racs 
of the ancient giants, and my name is Guru. Be careful 
never in my presence to mention the name of Him , whom 
no giant dares to know, and never make the sign of the 
cross, nor cut it into the wood-work of this house. You 
may live here all the year round, in quiet and comfort ; on 
Juels-xi ight alone, you will be so kind as to leave the house 
to me ; when the sun is at its lowest, let me have 
possession. Then we celebrate our great festival, the only 
time when we are permitted to be merry. If you don’t like 
to leave the house on that evening, remain as quiet as 
possible all day and night in the garret, and as you love 
your lives, don’t attempt to peep into the room before 
midnight. After that hour you may resume quiet pos- 
session.” 

After the old woman had spoken these words, she 
disappeared ; and Aslog and Orm, now satisfied with thAr 


78 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


position, lived happy and contented, and without further 
interruption. Orm never cast his net upon the waters, 
without catching as many of the best fish as he desired, nor 
did he ever send an arrow from his bow, that did not reach 
its mark ; in short, whatever he undertook, succeeded to 
admiration. 

When Christmas came, they cleaned up the house in the 
best manner, put every thing in order, lighted a fire upon the 
hearth, and as evening approached, they ascended to the 
garret, where they kept quiet and very still. At last it be- 
came dark, and then it seemed as if they heard a rushing and 
rustling noise in the air, such as swans are apt to make in 
the winter season. There was a large opening on the side 
of the chimney, which could be opened or closed at 
pleasure to let the smoke escape, or the light in. Orm 
raised the lid of this, which was only covered with a skin, 
and put his head out ; but what a strange spectacle was 
that he suddenly beheld. The small islands all around were 
illumined by numberless little blue lights, which were 
continually in motion, jumping up and down, then 
approached the shore, gathered in small parties, and came 
still nearer and nearer, towards the island where Orm and 


ASLOG AND ORM. 


79 


Aslog *ived. At last they landed, and now all stood in a 
circle around a large stone, which was not far from the 
shore, and was well known to Orm. But how great was 
the astonishment of the latter, when he observed that the 
stone gradually assumed a human shape, though of gigantic 
size ! Now he could also distinctly see that the little blue 
lights were carried by dwarfs, whose pale earth-colored 
faces with great noses and red eyes, also disfigured by large 
bird bills, and eyes like owls in some instances, rested upon 
fearfully-misshapen bodies; these dwarfs waddled, hopped, 
and walked about, seeming to be merry and sad at the same 
time. 

Suddenly the circle opened, the little fellows gave way 
on all sides, and Guru, who now was as large as the stone, 
approached with giant strides. She embraced with both 
her arms the stone image, and immediately the rock had life 
and animation. At the iirst sign of this, the dwarfs all 
began a song, or rather a howl, amidst the strangest and 
most grotesque grimaces, so loud that the whole island 
resounded and seemed to tremble with it. Orm, frightened 
to death, drew his head back, and he and Aslog now 


80 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


remained in the dark, and kept so quiet that they scarcely 
breathed. 

The dwarfs’ procession now approached the house, as 
Orm could well notice, by the increasing and near noise. 
At last they had all entered ; lightly and merrily now 
danced the dwarfs upon the benches and tables ; heavy and 
solemn, amidst their merriment, resounded the steps of the 
giant. Orm and his wife now heard them set the table, 
heard the plates and dishes rattle, and knew by their songs 
and merriment, that they were celebrating their festival. 
After the meal was over, and midnight was near, they 
commenced that magic strain which confuses the soul and 
maddens the senses; the strain which some people have 
heard in the valleys of rocks, or have learned from unearthly 
musicians ; to these strains all began to dance. 

Soon as Aslog heard this music, she felt an irresistible 
desire to see the dance. Orm had not the power to restrain 
her. “ Let me look,” she said; “only let me look, or my 
heart will break.” She took her child, and placed herself 
upon the farthest edge of the garret, where, without being 
seen, she could see all that passed below. Long, long she 
gazed, without averting her eyes, and watched the bold 


ASLOG AND ORM. 


81 


and wonderful capers of the little people, who seemed to be 
floating in the air, not touching the earth at all ; whilst the 
enchanting fairy-music filled her whole soul. Meanwhile, 
the child in her arms became sleepy, and breathed very 
heavily. Without remembering the promise she had given 
to the old woman, she did, as is mother’s custom, kiss her 
sleeping babe, and said, “ May Christ bless thee, my child.” 

Scarcely had these words passed her lips, when a fearful, 
stunning noise arose. The sprites rushed and tumbled head 
over heels, and falling over each other, from the house ; the 
lights vanished, and in a few minutes the house was 
deserted by all its late visitors. Orm and Aslog, frightened 
to death, retreated to the farthest corner of the house ; they 
dared not move until day dawned ; and only after the sun 
shone through the hole in the roof, and shed its rays 
into the house, they gathered courage enough to descend. 

The table was still laid, even as the ghosts had left it, 
and was laden with the most costly and wonderfully- worked 
silver plate. In the middle of the room, and on the floor, 
there stood a high copper-kettle, half filled with sweet mead, 
and, by the side of it, a drinking horn, of pure gold. In one 

corner lay a stringed-instrument, very large, and, in shape, 
4 * 


82 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


somewhat like the cithern, which giantesses are said to play 
upon. In astonishment Orm and Aslog looked at every- 
thing, but were afraid to touch anything they saw; but 
how great was their fright and wonder, when, on looking 
round, they saw a gigantic figure, which Orm immediately 
recognized as the giant whom Guru had embraced, seated 
by the table. It was now again a cold, hard stone. Whilst 
they stared at this, Guru herself, now of gigantic size, 
entered the room. She wept so bitterly that her tears fell 
to the ground. It was a long time before she could utter a 
word, amidst her sobs : at last she said : 

“You have brought great sorrow upon me, and 
henceforth I must weep all my days; but since I know 
that whatever you have done, you did with no evil 
intentions, I will forgive you, though it would be as easy for 
me to crush the house upon your heads as to crush an 
eggshell.” 

“Alas!” she exclaimed, weeping more bitterly than 
before, “ there sits my husband, whom I loved more than 
myself, and he is forever turned into stone, and will never 
again open his eyes. For three centuries I lived with my 
father happy and in innocence, upon the isle of Kumau, and 


































































4 








Asloy and Orm enter their Room after the Dwarfs Feast 


ASLOG AND ORM. 


83 


w as the fairest of all the giant-maidens. Mighty heroes 
wooed for my hand. The ocean which girdeth our isle is 
filled with rocks, which those heroes threw upon each other 
in the battle for my hand. Andfind gained the victory, 
and I was betrothed to him. Before, however, our 
wedding was consummated, the fearful Odin invaded our 
land, conquered my father, and drove us all from our island. 
My father and sisters fled to the mountains, and these eyes 
have never beheld them again. Andfind and myself took 
refuge in this island, where for a long time we lived in 
peace, hoping never to be disturbed again. But that 
destiny which rules over us, and which we cannot escape, 
willed it otherwise. Oluf came here from Britain. They 
called him a saintj and Andfind soon discovered that his 
arrival would be destruction to the race of giants. 

“ When we heard Oluf’s vessel rushing through the 
waves, my husband came to the sea-shore, and blew the 
waves with all his might against the vessel. The waves 
soon swelled to mountains. But Oluf was more powerful 
than he, and the ship steadily, and swiftly as an arrow, 
pursued its course. It came directly towards our island. 
When the ship had come so near that Andfind thought 


84 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


his hands could reach it, he took the bow in his right hand, 
to drag it to the bottom of the sea, as he had often done 
before with other vessels^ But Oluf — the fearful Oluf — • 
walked towards the bow, and crossing his hands, exclaimed 
in a loud voice : “ Remain thou there a stone, nor walk 
again until the day of judgment!” and in an instant my 
unfortunate husband was turned into a rock. The ship 
sailed straightforward, and without interruption it ran 
against a mountain, which it cut in twain, and thus 
separated yonder small isle from this island. 

“ Since that day all happiness and fortune has left me 
Alone and solitary have I passed my life. Only on the Juel 
evenings giants who are turned to stone can regain their 
life, for the space of seven hours — but only if one of their 
own race will embrace them — and is ready to sacrifice a 
hundred years of his own life for those seven hours. It is 
but rarely that a giant will do that. I loved my husband 
too dearly not to recall him to life as often as it was in my 
power, even if the sacrifice had been much greater. I never 
kept account how often I had done this, that I might not 
know when the time would come that I must share his fate, 
and become like him at the very moment of embrace. But, 


ASLOG AND ORM. 


85 


alas ! even this annual consolation is now gone. I never 
again can wake him. by my embrace, since . he heard you 
call out a name which I dare * not pronounce ; and never 
again will he see the light, until the morning dawns upon 
the day of judgment. 

“ I now must leave you ; and you will never again 
behold me. All that is in this house I present to you, 
except only that musical instrument, to the sounds of which 
I may sing of my woes. Let no one dare to visit any of 
those small surrounding islands; there the subterranean 
dwarfs, whom you have seen at the feast, abide ; and I will 
protect them as long as I shall live.” 

At these words she disappeared. The following spring 
Orm carried the golden horn and the silver vases and plates 
to Diontheim, where nobody knew him. The value of all 
these things was so great, that he was enabled to buy all 
the luxuries the richest people usually possess. He loaded 
a ship with his purchases and returned to the island, where 
he lived many years in uninterrupted happiness. Aslog’s 
father also soon became reconciled to his rich son-in-law. 

The stone image remained in the house. No body of 
men was ever able to move it. The stone was so hard, 


86 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


that hammers and axes broke to pieces without even 
making a mark upon the rock. The giant remained 
stationary until a holy man came to the island, who, with a 
single word, brought him back to his old place, where he has 
remained since. The copper-kettle, which had been used 
at the dwarfs’ feast, has been preserved by the inhabitants 
of the island, which to the present day is called the Isle of 
House 





t 












A LEGEND OF THE CANTON BASLE. 


You have perhaps all heard of the celebrated, learned and 
wise, Doctor Paracelsus, who effected so many cures with 
his mysteriously-prepared tinctures and lotions, and healed 
thousands of sick. A long time he lived at Basle as Pro- 
fessor at the University, and was so highly honored, that 
the Archbishop Ernest, even, called him to Salzburg, where 
he afterwards resided until his death. His end was brought 
about by a fall from his horse, and the far-famed Doctor 
knew of no means to prolong his own life even for a day. 

When he felt that his last hour was near, he desired to 
-leave the secrets of his art to one of his pupils, so that these 
secrets might not all be lost to mankind, and not one among 
them seemed so well suited to inherit this knowledge as his 
Famulus. Paracelsus, however, wanted first to convince 
himself that this Famulus had a pure heart, and 1 


90 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


mind, for the Doctor considered these as necessary re- 
quisites to his secret art; and he therefore concluded, once 
more, to examine the young man’s mind. He called him to 
his bedside, and said : 

“ What do you think of my sickness ? do you believe 
that I can get well again ? But I beg you only to speak 
the truth, according to your judgment and your conscience.” 

The Famulus knew very well that there was no help for 
his master, but thought to himself : “ If I give him hope, 
he will rejoice, and in gratitude will leave me all his 
tinctures and lotions, which will enable me to become very 
rich.^ He therefore professed to be very sad, and said : 

“ How can you speak so sadly, great master, when you 
know full well, that your death would be the greatest 
misfortune for me. But why do I say, for me — for the 
whole world! But, thank Heaven, it is not so bad with 
you, and you look a great deal better to-day ; I could swear, 
that with your incomparable medicines, you will be well 
again in a few days.” 

Paracelsus knew full well how untrue and hypocritical 
were these words, and also perceived that his Famulus was 
by no means honest, and cared for money more than for 


THE CHEATED FAMULUS. 


91 


science. He therefore concluded rather to destroy his most 
valuable tincture, than to let it fall into the hands of the 
Famulus. 

With an assumed friendliness, he therefore took the word, 
and said : “ I willingly believe you, my son, for I already 
begin to feel symptoms of returning health ; and I would 
never have been so ill, if I had not tried upon myself, the 
power of a newly-invented tincture against the gout. But 
the extract is too powerful, and is unfit for the purpose, and 
has, besides that, a secret power, which' may easily be 
dangerous to him who should become acquainted with it. 
Therefore, that no mischief may be done with it, I shall 
destroy it. Oblige me, then, by taking yonder well-sealed 
bottle from the shelf, carry it out to the bridge over the 
Salzack, break it, and pour the whole of its contents into 
the water. Only in this way, much mischief may be 
avoided.” 

When the Famulus heard these words, he thought to 
himself: “Well, look . how cunning my master means to 
be ; he is well aware that he cannot live much longer, and 
from sheer jealousy he will not let another have his most 
valuable tincture. I would be a great fool, if I obeyed his 


92 


FAIRY TALES. AND LEGENDS. 


order ; no, I will keep that phial safe enough, for I am 
certain it is an infallible cure for gout, and after my master’s 
death I can cure many people with it, and gain a great deal 
of money. I never would have thought, that the old 
Doctor was so selfish and stingy.” But to his master he 
said : 

“ Your wish shall immediately be fulfilled, and it will 
give me pleasure to destroy a medicine which has injured 
my dear master’s health.” 

Then he brought the bottle his master had designated, and 
prepared himself apparently to fulfil his master’s orders ; but 
secretly he carried it to his own chamber, filled another 
bottle with common water, went to the bridge and threw 
that bottle over. This he did from fear that the Doctor might 
have sent a servant after him, to convince himself that the 
Famulus had really emptied the bottle at the place where 
he had been told. Bejoiced at the success of his fraud, he 
now returned to the sick man’s bedside. 

“ Thank you,” said Paracelsus, with a weak voice, as his 
Famulus approached the bed. “You have rendered me a 
much greater, service, than you can imagine ; but tell me, 


THE CHEATED FAMULUS. 


93 


what did you see when you broke the bottle, and when its 
contents touched the water ?” 

“ What — have — I — seen ? Nothing, dear master,” re- 

plied the Famulus, in no little alarm. 

“ Then, sir, you have told an untruth, and have not 
broken the bottle,” said Paracelsus, very angrily; “ but you 
have thereby prepared your own misery. And since you 
did not seem to believe my words, you will not value my art 
very highly. I am sorry for that, for I had just chosen you 
for my successor. But I would now rather break all my 
bottles with my own hands, than to let them fall into 
yours.” 

And now the Famulus was very much frightened, for he 
had great faith in the Doctor’s knowledge, and feared the 
misery which he predicted. Besides this, he was angry 
with himself, that his own selfishness should have played 
him such a trick ; for if he had only obeyed the Doctor’s 
command in regard to that one bottle, all the other bottles 
and phials, and even the secret of preparing their contents, 
would have been his reward. 

He therefore showed the most sincere repentance at 
having retained the bottle, — but his repentance had another 


04 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


reason, than the one he wanted to make his master be- 
lieve. 

“ You see,” he began with a hypocritical face, “ it caused 
me the greatest sorrow, to be compelled to destroy even a 
single result of your deep, and rare science, for I was 
convinced, that in some way or other, the contents of that 
phial might benefit mankind. But I now perceive my great 
error, and will hasten to repair it.” Quickly he now went 
to his chamber, brought the bottle, hastened to the bridge 
over the Salzach, and broke it against the railing, so that 
the contents all fell into the stream. And immediately the 
broad surface of the water glimmered and shone like 
melted gold, and the Famulus observed to his horror, that 
the bottle had contained a most rare and powerful tincture, 
which had the secret power of turning everything it touched 
into gold. He had never known that his master was in 
possession of thG rare secret of preparing that tincture, a 
secret of which he had read a great deal in old books, and 
which thousands had sought after in vain. Oh, how badly 
had his master cheated him ! In perfect despair the 
Famulus- tore his hair, and would have cast himself into the 
stream to gather as much as possible of the bright gold that 







V 


The Cheated Famulus. 


p 94 

















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THE CHEATED FAMULUS. 


95 


floated on the surface ; but he had no vessel at hand to put it 
in, and the yellow gloss already began to disappear, and the 

little grains of gold which he had thrown in at the same 

' 

time, had already sunk to the bottom. 

At last he said to himself : “ Certainly, the Doctor must 
have more than this one bottle of the tincture, and I will 
hasten home to search for it everywhere.” Quickly he 
hurried back, and as he entered with a pale face into his 
master’s room, the latter observed at once, that his 
servant’s falsehood was now punished, and began to laugh 
immoderately. 

“ Oh, master, master,” cried the Famulus, but Paracelsus 
would not let him speak, and said : 

“ I have told you before, that it would bring you misery, 
if you knew the secret power of that mixture ; in the hand 
of such a person as you, it must be productive of evil; 
console yourself, therefore, and be content with the loss of 
that valuable bottle.” 

And the false Famulus replied: “Oh, master, what a 
great and wise man you are ! Yes, you are right, and 1 
acknowledge my worthlessness, for who besides yourself on 
earth would be worthy to possess so wonderful a secret ! 


96 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Therefore, if you have any more of these phials, tell me 
where they stand, that I may at once go and destroy them.” 

Then the Doctor laughed ten times more than before, and 
said : “ It was the only one. Fool, did you think that so 
valuable a tincture would be made by the bucket full. Oh, 
the stupidity of this world 1” And Paracelsus laughed so 
loud, and so heartily, and so long, that he died of it. 

Since that hour, as we know from reliable authority, 
people often find grains of gold in the sand of the Salzach 
stream. 



t n t ( t a >Hpr~ 


6 


































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THE DRAG-ON KILLER. 

S' 

A NEAPOLITAN FAIRt TALE. 

There was once a King of Alta-Marina , so cruel and 
inhuman, that one day, when he had left his queen alone, 
and was visiting one of his castles at a distance, a certain 
woman, who was a witch, took possession of his royal 
throne. In consequence of this mishap, he consulted a 
wooden-* image which possessed oracular powers, and he 
was told in reply, that h§ would not again obtain possession, 
until that witch had become blind. When he found that 
the witch, who was, moreover, well guarded, recognized at 
the first glance, all those persons whom he sent out to blind 
her, and that she killed them immediately, he grew desperate, 
and from dire revenge, murdered every woman that fell 
into his hands. 

After hundreds and hundreds had had the misfortune of 


100 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


losing their lives in this cruel manner, it chanced tha <t 
lady called Portiella , the most beautiful creature on earth, 
came across his path. Her hair was a chain to fetter 
lovers ; her forehead the escutcheon of love’s charms ; he* 
eyes were beacons to light to the haven of love, and he* 
mouth a honeyed cup between two rosebuds. 

When this beautiful Portiella fell into the hands of the 
cruel King, he was about to kill her like the rest. On the 
instant, however, when he was about to execute h^is 
judgment, and when he raised the dagger, a bird dropped an 
unknown root upon the King’s arm, which caused such a 
sudden trembling that the steel fell from his hand. 

This bird was a fairy, who had a few days before sought 
rest in a forest, and had fallen asleep beneath a tree, though 
not without danger, for a certain satyr approached, and was 
about to harm her, when Portiella chanced to pass by, and 
quickly awoke the fairy. The latter was grateful for this 
act, and henceforth watched over Portiella, to gain an 
opportunity of showing her gratitude. 

When the King reflected upon the accident, he concluded 
that the beauty of Portiella’s face, had so great an influence 
upon his arm, that the dagger could not do its duty. He 


RIIUCCIO 


101 


therefore would not personally renew the attempt to take 
her life, but determined to immure her in one of the dungeons 
of his palace ; he quickly executed this plan, and the unfor- 
tunate lady was enclosed within four walls, without meat or 
drink, there gradually to die by starvation. 

The bird, who saw her in this sad condition, consoled 
her with sweet words, and begged her to be cheerful ; for, 
in consideration of the great service she had rendered him, 
he would help her, even at the risk of his own life. Not- 
withstanding all that Portiella said to the contrary, he 
assured her, that he was under great obligations to her, and 
added, that he would leave nothing untried in her service. 
As he had observed, that she was nearly dying of hunger, he 
hastily flew away, but quickly returned with a pointed 
knife, which he had taken from the King’s chamber. With 
this, he requested her to cut a hole in the corner of her cell 
which was just above the kitchen, and that he would bring 
her food through it. Portiella worked steadily until the hole 
was large enough to admit the bird ; the latter waited until 
the cook had gone out to get some water, and then took a 
roasted fowl off the spit, and brought it to Portiella ; as he 
knew not how he could bring her anything to drink, and as 


102 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


she was very thirsty, he flew to the attic, where a large 
quantity of grapes had been hung up, and carried the finest 
bunch he could find to his protege. This he did for many 
days. 

Meanwhile Portiella gave birth to a lovely boy, whom 
she nursed with the constant assistance of the bird. When 
he had grown up and was strong enough, the fairy-bird 
advised his mother to make the hole in her cell larger, and 
to take one or two planks out of the floor, in order to let 
Miuccio, such was the boy’s name, pass through; after 
having done this, and having passed the boy out by means 
of some ropes which the bird had brought her, she should 
replace those planks, so that no one could see whence the 
boy had come. 

Portiella did exactly as the bird had instructed her, 
impressed upon her son’s mind never t6 tell whence he 
came, or whose child he was, and then, when the cook was 
out, she let him down through the aperture. When the 
cook on his return found the beautiful boy, he asked him 
who he was, whence he came, and what he wanted. The 

child, remembering the advice of his mother, said that he 

■ 

was a poor deserted boy, and in search of a master. Whilst 


MIUCCIO. 


103 


the two were thus conversing, the chief butler entered the 
kitchen, and when he saw that the little fellow was so 
very smart and handsome, he thought he might be an 
excellent page for the King. He therefore conducted him 
to the royal chambers, and when he was found to be so very 
handsome and amiable, the King at once took him into his 
service as a page, and became so much attached to him, 
that he let him be instructed in all knightly knowledge, so 
that he soon became the most accomplished young man at 
the court. The King loved him much more than his own 
step-son, and in consequence of this, the Queen began to 
hate Miuccio, and to treat him very badly ; her hatred still 
increased, and increased more, as Miuccio grew daily in the 
King’s favor. At last she determined so to smear the steps 
of fortune’s ladder with soap, that Miuccio must fall from 
the top to the bottom. 

She therefore said to the King, one evening, when he was 
in very good humor ; “ There is Miuccio, my dear, who has 
boasted of being able to build castles in the air.” 

Partly in levity, and partly to please his wife, the King, 
on the following morning, as soon as the moon, the 
schoolmaster of shadows, had given his pupils a holiday, 


104 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


consequently of the advent of the bright sun, had Miuccio 
called, and commanded him to build three castles in the air, 
as he had boasted he could do, otherwise he would have to 
dance in the air himself. 

When Miuccio heard this command, he went into his 
chamber and began to weep bitterly, for he perceived that 
royal favor is made of glass, and kingly kindness only short- 
lived. Whilst he was thus weeping and complaining, the 
bird came to him : “ I can bring the chestnuts out of the 
fire for thee,” he said ; “ take courage and fear nothing, as 
long as thou hast my assistance.” Thereupon he ordered 
him to take pasteboard and glue, and to make three large 
castles ; then the bird brought three griffins, tied one of the 
castles to each, and these flew out of the window. Miuccio 
now called the King, who hastened to the spot with his 
entire court, to see the spectacle. When the King had 
seen this proof of Miuccio’s talent, he loved him more than 
ever, and absolutely loaded him with favors ; but he thus 
carried more ice and wormwood to the cold and bitter envy 
of the Queen, and new coals to the fire of her anger ; she 
could not keep awake in day time, nor sleep at night 









































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MIUCCIO. 


105 


without dreaming of ,some means by which she could 
destroy the object of her hatred. 

At last she again addressed the King, and said : “ My 
dear husband, it is high time that the grandeur and joy of 
our past days were back ; now Miuccio has declared that 
he could blind the witch, and by taking her eyes, give back 
to your sight a lost kingdom.” The King, who was very 
sore upon this particular point, immediately called Miuccio, 
and said to him : “I am very much astonished, that you, 
whom I have loved and favored so much, should have had 
the power to help me again to the throne which I have lost, 

and yet are so idle and careless, never to have made the 

\ 

attempt to deliver me from the misery I now am in ; to 
see me taken from the mastery of a mighty city, and reduced 
to that of a miserable little castle, from the command of 
armies, to that of a few miserable domestics ; therefore, 
if you do not wish my misery, hasten hence immediately, 
and put out the eyes of the witch who has my kingdom 
in her possession ; for in closing her window shutters, 
you open the magazine of my greatness — in extinguishing 
her tapers, you light the lamps of my glory, which now 

burn dimly and darkly.” 

5 * 


106 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


When Miuccio heard this proposition, he was .about to 
reply to the King, and to tell him that he was wrongly 
informed ; that he was neither a crow, who could hack 
people’s eyes out, nor a gipilet to bore holes. 

But the King quickly said : “ Not another word, I will 
have it so, and it must be done. Make up your account, 
that I may make up the balance in the scales of my mind ; 
in one scale, the reward, if you do as I request you ; in the 
other, the penalty, if you omit what I have commanded.” 

Miuccio, who would not willingly run his head against a 
rock, and who knew that he was dealing with a man who 
unfortunately stood under the control of his wife, left the 
presence to vent his grief elsewhere. As he stood upon a 
high bridge, thinking seriously of jumping off into the 
stream below, to drown himself, his old friend, the bird, 
again came to him, and said : 

“ Is it possible that you think of suicide for such a trifle ? 
If I were dead, you might be justified in thinking of such 
folly. Do you not know yet, that I value your life higher 
even than mine own 1 Take courage and come with me, 
and you shall see what a bird can do.” 

He then flew towards a forest, and commenced to sing; 


MIUCCIO. 


107 


soon a great number of birds gathered around him, whom 
he addressed, and told, that the bird among them, who 
should succeed in blinding the witch, should have from 
him a safeguard against vultures and eagles, as also against 
the arrows, shots, traps, and nets of men. 

Among these birds there w T as a swallow, who had built her 
nest against a cornice of the witch’s palace, and who heartily 
hated her, because, whenever the latter began her wicked 
conjurations, she had driven the bird and her young away, 
with smoke and fire. This swallow, partly from revenge, 
and partly to obtain the promised reward, agreed to execute 
the commission. Quick as lightning, therefore, she flew 
back to the city, and arriving at the palace, she found the 
witch stretched upon a couch, and two handmaidens by her 
side, who were fanning her. The swallow hovered directly 
over this group, and as the witch happened to look upwards, 
she dropped something which she had procured, directly 
into her eyes, which deprived her forever of her sight. 

When the witch found that it became night to her at 
noonday, she knew that this closing of the inspector’s office, 
lost her forever the treasures of the kingdom ; she uttered 
one wild scream, dropped the sceptre from her hand, and 


108 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


rushed out to hide herself in certain caves in the 
mountains. Here, running her head against the rocks, she 
ended her days. 

When the witch was gone, the ministers sent an 
ambassador to the King, to request him to return and enjoy 
his reign, since the blindness of the witch had brought about 
that happy day. Along with this ambassador came also 
Miuccio, who, by the advice of the bird, said to the King : 
“ I have served you faithfully. The witch is blind, and the 
kingdom is again entirely your own ; if I deserve reward 
for this, I ask nothing, but to be left to my own fate, and not 
again to be exposed to similar dangers.” 

The King was moved, and embraced Miuccio with much 
warmth, and made him sit by his side. Oh, how jealous 
and angry was then the Queen ; the varying color of her 
face plainly indicated the storm that was burning within 
her bosom, against poor Miuccio. 

Not far from the castle there was a fearful dragon, who 
had been born simultaneously with the Queen. When her 
father had called together the astrologers, to explain this 
occurrence, they had told him that his daughter would ever 
be secure and live as long as the dragon was alive, but if 


MITJCCIO. 


109 


one died, the other must also die at the same moment. One 
thing only could then restore the Queen to life, namely, if 
her breast, her body and nostrils were anointed with the 
dragon’s blood. 

The Queen, who well knew the strength and cruelty of 
the beast, concluded to send Miuccio to him, fully convinced 
that the latter would be but a mouthful in the jaws of the 
monster, not more than a berry in the mouth of a black 
bear. The Queen, therefore, again appealed to the King, 
and said : 

“ Miuccio is undoubtedly the greatest pride and treasure 
of your house, and you would be ungrateful not to love 
him, especially since he has expresssd a desire to kill the 
dragon, who, although he is my brother, yet is your bitter 
enemy, and I love one lock of my husband’s hair, more than 
a hundred brothers.” 

The King, who hated the dragon mortally, and knew not 
how to get him out of his path, quickly called Miuccio, and 
said : 

“ I know thou canst conquer and enchain all thou wilt ; 
therefore, as thou hast already done so much for me, do me 
yet another favor, and then, thou canst go whichever way 


110 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


thou mayest desire. Hasten and kill the dragon, and thou 
wilt do me a very great favor, for which I will duly 
reward thee.” 

When Miuccio heard these words, he very nearly lost his 
senses, and as soon as he had sufficiently recovered from his 
fright, to be able to speak, he said to the King : “ And is 
this the headache which I am to cure? Is my life no 
better than the milk of a black goat, that you would waste 
it in this manner ? This is not an order to execute as easy 
as the - killing of a reptile, or a cat, or a dog, for this is a 
dragon, who can tear with his elaws, stun with his head, 
crush with his tail, gnash with his teeth, and poison with 
his looks. Is this the sinecure you would give me, for 
having regained your kingdom for you ? Who is the 
wretch to bring such foul play upon the tapis ? Who is 
the fiend to instigate you to such demands, who whispers 
such tasks for me in your ears?” 

The King, who was as light as a bubble in making 
promises, but firmer than a rock in his obstinacy, became 
very impatient, and stamping with his feet, he cried : “ Have 
you done, have you done ? What ! after all that you have 
already accomplished, cannot you do this last? not another 


MIUCCIO. 


Ill 


word ; you will either destroy the dragon, or I will slay 
you.” 

The unhappy Miuccio, who began to feel, that he was 
receiving promises and threats at the same time, that the 
King would fondle him at one moment, and strike him the 
next, would receive him now warmly and again coldly, saw 
how varying was court favor, and wished that he had never 
known the King. But as he knew that it is better to pull 
a lion’s mane, than to contradict a powerful and obstinate 
man, he went away, cursing the fate which had brought 
him to court. Determined to end his days, he seated 
himself upon the steps bofore the door, holding his head 
between his knees, washing his shoes with his tears, and 
warming the ground with his sighs, when — behold — the 
bird appeared again, bearing a herb in his bill. This he 
threw to Miuccio, and said : “ Arise, Miuccio, and take 
courage ; thou shalt not end thy days either here or in the 
dragon’s cave, but the dragon shall get the worse of it. 
Take this herb, and when you arrive at the dragon’s den, 
throw it in. It will so overpower the monster with fatigue, 
that he will immediately fall into sound sleep, and then with 
a good knife you can soon cut him up to mincemeat. 


112 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Come, come cheer up, and all will go better than you 
imagine. Enough, I know what can be done ; we have 
more time than money, and to have time is to have money 
and life.” 

When Miuccio heard this, he rose, provided himself 
with a good knife, took the herb, and proceeded to the 
dragon’s cave, which was underneath a mountain of such 
height, that the three mountains called the Giant’s Steps, did 
not reach half way up to it. When he arrived there, he 
threw the herb into the cave, and immediately the dragon 
fell into deep sleep, and Miuccio began to carve him. 

Whilst he was thns cutting up the monster, the Queen 
began to feel that her heart was being cut, and as she now 
perceived, what she had brought upon herself, she regretted 
to have purchased her own death so cheaply. She called 
the King, her husband, told him that the astrologers had 
said, that her life depended upon that of the dragon, and 
that she feared Miuccio had already killed him, since she 
grew every moment more weak and faint. The King 
replied : “If you knew that the life of the dragon was the 
subsistence of your life, and the root of your days, why did 
you tell me to give Miuccio the order? Whose is the 


MIUCCIO. 


113 


fault ? You alone have done the evil, and you must suffer 
for it ; you have broken the hour-glass of your life and must 
pay for it;” 

The Queen replied : “ I never thought that a single lad 
had the strength and agility to master an animal which 
could conquer an army ; I thought that Miuccio would 
forfeit his life there ; but since I made my reckoning without 
the host, and since the barque of my projects has lost its 
course, do me one favor if you still love me. When I am 
dead, take a sponge dipped in the blood of the dragon, and 
with it anoint all the extremities of my body, before you 
bury me.” 

“ This request is a trifle compared with the love I feel for 
you,” replied the King, “and if the blood of the dragon be 
not sufficient, I will take my own to satisfy you.” 

The Queen was about to thank him, but her breath left 
her, for at this very moment, Miuccio had killed the 
dragon. 

He had scarcely informed the King of this deed, when 
the latter commanded him to return, and to bring him some 
of the dragon’s blood; but as the King was curious to see 
the handiwork of Miuccio, he followed him. Miuccio 


114 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


had scarcely left the palace, when the bird joined him again, 
and inquired whither he was going. Miuccio replied : “I 
go to where the King has sent me ; for he keeps me going 
like a weaver’s shuttle, backwards and forwards, and grants 
me no rest.” 

“ And what are you to do now ?” inquired the bird. 

“ Bring some of the dragon’s blood,” answered the other. 

“ Then,” said the bird — “ unhappy youth ; this dragon’s 
blood will be bad blood for thee, for it will prepare thy 
destruction ; by this blood, the evil origin of all thy labors, 
she who continually exposes thee to new dangers in order to 
destroy thee, will gain a new life, and this King will again 
allow himself to be guided by this serpent, and command thee, 
even as if thou wert a culprit instead of a pure sprout of 
royalty, and his own descendant, to risk thy life for the attain- 
ment of impossibilities. But the unhappy man knows thee 
not, although the great affection he, at times, shows for thee 
is a certain sign of your consanguinity. But the services 
which thou hast already done him, and the advantage of hav- 
ing such an excellent heir to his kingdom, will yet induce 
him to let thy mother, the unfortunate Portiella, who has now 


MIUCCIO. 


115 


been fourteen years immured with all her beauty, find favor 
in his eyes.” 

"Whilst the fairy was saying all this, the King, who had 
heard every word, approached nearer to hear still more, and 
when he found, that Miuccio was not only the son of the 
beautiful Portiella, but also his own, and that Portiella was 
still alive in her prison, he immediately gave orders to 
liberate her, and bring her before him. When he saw, that, 
through the care of the bird, she was even more beautiful 
than ever, he could not cease alternately to press mother and 
son to his heart, to ask their pardon for the bad treatment 
they had received, and for the dangers to which he had 
exposed them. He then let Portiella be dressed and 
adorned in the richest robes of the late Queen, and made her 
his wife. When the King learned, that her safety, the life 
of his son, and his preservation from so many dangers had 
been solely through the instrumentality of the bird, who had 
brought food to Portiella, and given advice and assistance to 
his son, he offered his life and his kingdom to the bird. 

The fairy bird, however, replied, that she asked no other 
reward than to have Miuccio for her husband, and in an 
instant, the bird transformed herself into a beautiful maiden, 


116 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


and became Miuccio’s wife, to the greatest satisfaction of 
the King and Portiella. 

After the dead Queen had been buried, the young couple 
were the happiest people on earth. But in order still to 
increase the festivities, they went to their own kingdom, 
where they had long been anxiously expected. Everybody 
of course knew, that the fairy deserved the credit for all this, 
and that she had repayed the kindness which Portiella had 
shown her; for to sum all up: A good deed is never 
•without its reward. 



im*m> (j * * <b gg 



THE 

A LEGEND OF IRELAND. 

The “ Leperiiawn” is one of the good people or fairies, 
in whom many of the natives of Ireland place implicit 
belief. According to the received tradition, this sprite is 
brogue-maker to the rest of the Fay-fraternity, and it is 
when thus engaged, his whereabouts is discovered in the 
deep recesses of some tangled wood, his captor being led to 
the spot, by the sounds which proceed from the tapping of 
his little hammer, upon the sole of the little shoe he is at 
work upon. Once caught, it is in the power of his cap- 
turer to demand any amount of buried treasure, or if he 
choose, insist upon having the Leperhawn’s purse : this 
holds but one gold piece, but possesses the magic power of 
replenishing itself as quickly as its contents are withdrawn. 
The little fairy is, however, no small trickster, and many 


120 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


instances are on record of his cheating his temporary 
master, by giving, in lieu of the purse of gold, a worthless 
affair, enriched with only one copper coin, and void of all 
reproducing powers. 

Other traditions invest the " good people’s” brogue-maker 
with the power of removing personal defects, and bestowing 
good looks and grace in the place of deformity and 
awkwardness. The following Legend is one I have been 
familiar with, from childhood ; I will relate it as nearly as 
my memory serves, in the language of the dear old woman 
from whom I first heard it. 

“Is it belave in thim ? Musha ! thin av coorse I do ! 
faith, why not ! shure it’s my own blessed grandmother hard 
what I’m goin’ to till yez, from the father that owned her, 
and it’s consarning his own grandfather he was spaking. 
You see, honey, be all accounts he was a little wee bit of a 
crock of a child, with a mighty fine brow, and sweet curlin’ 
hair as black as a bad man’s heart, and an eye that would 
lead a glow worrum asthray in a dark night, and take the 
love out of all that looked upon it in the bright day. But 
it’s mighty ailin’ he was from his birth, and the poor back 
of him was as twisted as the letter S itself ! It’s little he 


THE LEPERHAWN. 


121 


minded it for many a long year, for he was beloved by his 
strappin’ six feet brothers, and shure his father had ever the 
Rind word for the Daunchy little thing, and as for his 
mother ! oh, thin it’s only a mother, and a mother’s heart, 
knows the depth of its love for the child that bears the 
world’s blight upon it ! 

“ He’d winnin’ ways wid him, had little Paudeen ; there 
was the music of the wild birds in his sweet voice, and 
many and many a time, young and ould would listen to him 
singing the ould songs he liked, till the big tears would 
hang upon their cheeks, and their thanks would die upon 
their lips, and all they could give him for his pains 
whould be an unheard blessing, an’ a gintle pat upon the 
head, whin they hurried away widout spaking, as if they 
feared to drive the sweet sounds from their ears, where they 
loved to keep them. 

“ Among the listeners, acushla ! there was as I’ve hard tell, 
the purtyest crature that ever set foot on the green grass ! 
faith, the sight of her cheeks would wither a rose-bud, and 
her teeth be the death of a lily itself. And who but Aleen 
— that was the name, honey, she had upon her — Avho but 

her, was gone for ever in love with the twisted little 
6 


122 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Paudeen. And this darlint, this was the way he found it 
out. Many and many a night he’d walk to the ould wood 
beyant his father’s cabin, and sittin’ him down at the fut of 
a favorite wild oak tree, sing by the hour all alone by 
himself. Well, who but Aleen knew this ? and whose fut 
was it but hers, that left its small print on the dewy turf 
as she’d steal out to listen to his songs, not with her ears 
but heart, for there wasn’t a word that came from his lips, 
or a sound that gave it birth, that didn’t nestle snug in 
there, as a little bird under its mother’s wing. 

“ Shure, there was wild bastes used to be prowlin’ about 
in thim ould times ; and one blessed night, Paudeen was 
roused, by a scream that would almost wake the dead, and 
shure, it’s leaving him he thought the sinses of him was, or 
that he saw a ghost itself, whin, with a face pale as a white 
frost, Aleen rushed through the thick branches of the 
underwood, and fell like a dead angel at his feet. It’s small 
time he had for lookin’ at her just thin ! for the left arm of 
him seemed bitten through and through wid red hot teeth. 
A wolf had closed its jaws upon that same. It wasn’t long 
he enjoyed himself there, sucking better blood than ever 
had been in his blaggard body, for Paudeen drove the sharp 




/ 



l 


Paudeen saves Aleen's Life. p 122 


THE LEPERHAWN. 


123 


blade of his hunting-knife betwixt the ribs of the marauding 
thafe, and drove and drove, and cut and stabbed, till the 
brute fell dead on the bloody turf. 

“ It’s little he thought of the loss of blood when he saw 
who he had lost it for, and from that moment the deep love 
he didn’t know was in him, burst up in a blaze in his 
heart ! and the thought of his crooked back, as he looked on 
the beautiful girl at his feet, made him shiver, as if a palsy 
had fallen upon his hopes. 

“ She thanked, she blest him in tones that might have made 
him know she loved him — but despair had blasted him, and 
when he left her at her father’s house, the big tears u nrst 
from his eyes and saved his heart from breaking. 

“ It’s an altered man he was, from that day ; he shunned all 
his friends, his looks were haggard, and his eyes gleamed 
like burning coals, and morning, noon and night, it’s away 
in the woods he was huntin’ for the Leperhawn. Well, 
darlint, shure one fine day he hard the “tap, tap, tap,” 
of the little hammer ! Oh, how his blood tingled, and he 
held his breath, till he nearly choked himself, as he stole 
along to the place, the smallest noise made by the laste dry 
twig that snapped under his fut, sounded to his ears like a 


124 


LEGENDS AND FAIRY TALES. 


clap of thunder, and he’d stop and listen as if his life 
depended on the next tap! He hard it again, and oh, 
think of his joy and fear, whin, within a yard of him, wid his 
back facing him, he saw the Leperhawn, hard at work. 
Wid the spring of a wild cat and the laugh of a madman, 
he grasped the little crature by the waist ! 

“ ‘ I have you, at last,’ sez Paudeen. 

“ ‘ First or last, you needent squeeze so tight,’ sez the 
Leperhawn ; ‘ what do you want?’ sez he — ‘ is it money?’ 
sez he. 

“ * It is,’ sez Paudeen ; ‘ that and good looks.’ 

“ ‘ Faith, you’re in need o’ them, my fine fellow, at any 
.ate,’ sez the Leperhawn. 

“ ‘ Don’t be jokin’,’ sez Paudeen. 

“ ‘ I’m in airnest,’ sez the little brogue-maker. * What do 
you want them for ?’ 

“ ‘ To win Aleen’s heart,’ sez Paudeen. 

“ * You’re a fool !’ sez the Leperhawn. 

“‘Better manners,’ sez the hunchback. ‘I have you 
tight.’ 

“ ‘ True for you, ycu have, more tight than plisant — don’t 


THE LEPERHAWN. 


125 


be breaking the ribs aff av me — shure you’ll get nothing by 
that.’ / 

“ ‘ Don’t you be imjddent, thin,’ sez Paudeen, * for you’ll 
get nothing by that, so give me what I want.’ 

“ ‘ I will,’ sez the little thing, after a pause. ‘ I will, for 
I like you. I knew you were, cornin’, or you wouldn’t 
have caught me. There’s me purse, don’t be doubting me, 
it's the right one — you can pour the bright gould out of it 
like runnin’ water, and there,’ sez he, touching Paudeen, 
wid his queer little hammer, f now you’re a changed man — 
but mind me, if Aleen likes you now, she is as false as a 
snow drift or a shiftin’ sand. I’ll see you here to-morrow, 
and if you wish, I’ll change you back.’ 

“ Paudeen had no time to thank the crature, before he was 
out o’ sight. He rushed into the sunshine and saw by the 
shadow his form was changed, and his hump was gone. 
With a wild hurra, he bounded off to the lake, and almost 
fell, when he saw reflected in the sky’s own lookin’ glass, 
the handsome face and strong built form he had upon him. 
Did he walk, or did he fly — or was it lightnin’ carried him 
to his darlin’s roof? She was alone ; he poured the gould 
at her feet; she started; he knelt to her; a faint scream 


126 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


escaped her lips ; he talked of love, and took her hand ; she 
dashed him from her in scorn ! There was a curl on her 
lip, a cloud upon her brow, and a quivering in her voice, as 
she called him ‘a coward thus to press his suit.’ She 
rushed from the cabin, and threw herself down at the foot 
of the tree where Paudeen saved her life, weeping the big 
tears, that are born in the depths of the heart. 

“ Paudeen felt as if the * good people’s’ curse was on him ; 
he stole to the place she had ran to, and there heard her, in 
spite of her sobs, whisper his name. It was enough ! The 
truth flashed upon him, like the lightning’s blaze in a black 
night. He saw the Leperhawn again ! There was a merry 
smile on the little brogue-maker’s face, as he asked : 

“ 1 Paudeen, darlin’, will you stay as you are V 
“ ‘ Change me ! in mercy, change me back !’ 

“ ‘It’s done,’ says the little sprite. ‘ You loved truly and 
you’ve got what you deserve.’ He stopped smilin’ as he 
added wid something like sorrow, ‘Paudeen, there is no 
gift the ‘ good people’ can bestow, equal to what a mortal 
may possess — a woman's honest love. You’ve won it, be 
content ; to her your blemishes are beauties. She sees you 
with the fond eyes of her trusting soul. She will share but 


THE LEPERHAWN. 


127 


two spots on earth; and those will be your home while 
living, and your grave when dead !’ 

“ The little Leperhawn vanished from the boy’s sight. A 
few weeks after, the hunchback, Paudeen, was the husband 
of Aleen, and from that hour, darlin’, he ceased repining ; he 
put his trust in the good God that had made him, and when 
he died, he told his story, and left it to be told as a lesson for 
his children’s children — that honesty of heart is better than 
handsomeness, and content beyant the price of gould” — with 
which moral, dear friend, I end this trifling sketch. 







AND THE BREEDING THALER.* 



A LEGEND OF SAXONY. 

Away in the very centre of Germany, in the kingdom of 
Saxony, there is a wild-looking, wood-covered mountain, 
called the Hartz Mountain. The highest point of this, and 
in fact the highest summit in all Germany, is called the 
“Brocken,” and frequently the “ Blocksberg.” In all the 
legends of Germany, and in all its fairy tales and 
popular traditions, this “ Brocken” plays a most important 
part, as the entire Hartz Mountain, but most especially 
the “Brocken,” has, from time immemorial, been the 
residence of good and evil spirits, fairies, elves, and 
hobgoblins of every description. It is said that even to this 
day, every year, on the night of the first of May, Satan 
himself, and all the witches, magicians and evil spirits, meet 
at the highest point of this mountain, and there hold their 

* Groschen — a German coin equal to two cents in value. 

* Thaler — another German coin, worth about sixty cents. 


132 


fa:hy tales and legends. 


revels. No inhabitant of the country, for more than fifty 
miles around, would venture to the mountain on that night 

A number of small towns and villages are scattered 
through the valley at the foot of the mountain. 

Many years ago, there lived in one of the latter, a pool 
peasant, who had a wife and seven little children, who were 
all crying for bread and for warm clothes, for the climate in 
those mountainous districts is rough and cold, especially in 
the winter months. 

The poor peasant worked all day and half the night. But 
all was in vain ; he could not gain sufficient to satisfy the 
necessities of his little children and of his sick wife. 

He then grew desperate, and determined to end his misery 
by "a voluntary death, forgetting the wickedness of suicide, 
and forgetting that there is a life hereafter, and that there, 
sin is punished, and virtue rewarded. The peasant rushed 
from his house, and ran to a high and steep rock, called 
“ Ilsenstein” determined to throw himself from this rock 
down the fearful precipice. 

This Ilsenstein derives its name from an enchanted Prin- 
cess, called the beautiful Ilse, of whom it is told, that she 
often descends from the top of this rock, where her castle 





A Suioide prevented 


p. 133 








THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC. 


133 


once stood, and goes down to the mountain-stream, which 
is also called “the Ilse;” there she washes her face and 
neck, and dries herself witjh her long golden locks. 

The poor peasant had reached the top of the rock, cast 
one more sad look to Heaven, and raised his foot, to leap 
over the precipice, when he felt himself suddenly held by the 
arm. He looked around and beheld a man of venerable 

i 

appearance, who said : 

“ What wouldst thou do, most wretched man ! Hast 
thou forgotten thy wife, and thy poor children ? Shall they 
die in hunger and misery when thou art no more ? — Come, 
take courage, trust in God, and there will be help for thee. 

“Who can, who will help me?” said the peasant in a 
tone of bitterness. 

“ I will,” replied the old man, and handed the other a 
groschen. 

“ Really,” exclaimed the peasant, evidently intending to 
throw the present at the other’s feet, “ really, it becomes you 
ill, to make fun of a man’s despair. 

But quickly the old man interrupted him. “ Hold, rash 
man ! first examine the gift, and then judge.” 

“Well,” said the peasant, with a sarcastic smile, “I 


134 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


should really like to know what there is about this little 
coin, that I should examine it so closely !” and saying this, 
he turned the coin two or three times in his hand. But, 
oh, wonderful ! as often as he turned it round, a new shilling, 
good current coin dropped from it. He gazed upon the old 
man in wonder and astonishment. 

The latter said with a smile, “ Well, Thomas, what 
think you of that ? Now go home with your breeding 
groschen, which was sent to you through me, from the 
Princess Use. As often as you turn it, a shilling will drop 
out ; but observe, only as long as you need the money for 
your own and others real benefit ; in the hands of the 
profligate, the avaricious, or the miser, the coin looses its 
magic power.” 

Who was happier than poor Thomas ? He cast himself 
at the old man’s feet, thanked him as best he could, and 
promised sincerely never to become hard-hearted, avaricious, 
or miserly. 

The old man seemed to listen with pleasure to these 
promises ; he gave him some more good advice, and then 
disappeared through the rocks. 

Thomas, however, hastened joyfully home, manufactured 


THE BREEDING GROSCIIEN, ETC. 


135 


quickly as many shillings as he needed for the moment, and 
bought bread and clothes for his children, and medicines and 
strengthening food for his wife. 

He soon had the pleasure to see his wife restored to health, 
and now, telling her all, he consulted with her, how they 
could use the power of their magic groschen to their best 
advantage. 

The woman was a good and sensible person, and said : 
“ Let us make shillings enough to buy a snug little house, a 
few acres of land, and a garden, a few head of cattle, and 
the necessary implements for labor. That will be enough 
for the present, and will, I think, be carrying out the inten- 
tions of the benevolent old man and the Princess Use. In a 
case of necessity we shall still have the breeding groschen 
in reserve — but I hope and trust, that we shall not again 
need its aid, for the bread we earn by honest labor is always 
the sweetest.” 

Thomas did as his wife had advised him, bought a little 
farm with everything appertaining to it, and heartily and 
willingly went to work. 

And the blessings of the Lord seemed to rest upon his 
labor, for in a very few years, he was looked upon as a man 


136 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 




well to do in the world, and the poor, despised peasant was 
now honored and praised for his kindness and charity. 

Thomas was flattered with all this, and became even 
more hospitable than before, and gave away three times as 
much. His wife remonstrated with him, and told him that 
people might be extravagant even in their gifts — but he 
replied angrily : 

“ Shall I become a miser, or a hard-hearted man ?” and 
he continued to give away to everybody, without discretion 
and without measure. 

But soon he began to perceive that his fortune could not 
long support such extravagance, and for the first time in 
many years, he again sought the aid of his magic groschen, 
He locked himself in his chamber, and began to turn it 
round and round. The breeding groschen, still possessed its 
former power, and at every turn, a shilling dropped from it. 
Soon a large pile of shillings lay before Thomas, but he 
thought, “ since I am at it now, I will make up a good large 
sum, so that I need not come again in a hurry. And he 
turned, and turned, and turned the groschen all the day and 
all the night, and when day came againr'he turned still, 

f 


THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC. 


137 


and the money lay more than a foot deep in his chamber, 
and Thomas was still turning. Suddenly, however, he 
almost fainted away with fright, for all at once the groschen 
stopped breeding; once more he tried it ; ho turned it over 
and over again — but in vain, not another shilling appeared. 

“ For to-day this will, perhaps, be enough!” he said with 
a trembling voice — laid down upon the money, and en- 
deavored to sleep a little. But he could not succeed, — a 
terrible fear had come over him. “ What, if the groschen 
has stopped breeding forever !” — he murmured continually 
to himself, and cold perspiration ran down his forehead. 

The sun was standing high in the heavens, when his wife, 
who had been absent on a visit for a few days, returned 
home, and was no little astonished at finding that her 
husband had not left his chamber yet. The door was 
locked on the inside ; she knocked, but no one replied, and 
it was not opened to all her knocking and calling. 

Then she was very much frightened, and had the door 
opened by force, but she sunk down with a cry of horror, 
at the sight that met her, and all others were equally 
horrified at what they beheld. 

The whole room lay a foot deep, full of new shillings, 


138 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


and on the top of them, pale and with open, glaring, deadly 
looking eyes, lay Thomas,. grasping, convulsively, the 
breeding groschen in his right hand. 

His wife rushed towards him, raised him up, and 
exdlaimed : “ Heavens! husband, what has happened ?” 

“ Put the money away and to a safe place, so that none 
of it is lost nor stolen,” was all the reply he uttered. 

To quiet him, she promised to take good care of it, then 
put him to bed, and gave him some refreshment. 

When they were alone, and he had in some measure 
recovered, he told her all that had happened. 

“ Alas! alas!” exclaimed the wife, “ what have you done! 
Now the strength of the breeding groschen is gone. But 
let it be gone. The sum that is left is quite sufficient to 
keep us comfortably all our lives, if we are only industrious, 
and moderate in our expenditures.” 

“ No, no !” exclaimed Thomas frantically ; “ don’t be afraid, 
it is only for to-day — to-morrow it will breed again, it must. 
But let me sleep now.” And he sunk into a heavy and 
restless sleep. Weeping bitterly, his wife left him, for well 
could she see what would next happen, and the anticipations 
of that were certainly not very gratifying. 


THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC. 


139 


Thomas now had a severe brain fever, and dreamed of all 
sorts of fiends and goblins. He got well again, but all 
animation, and all the pleasure he used to have in work, were 
gone ; all day long he walked about, turning the breeding 
coin to the right and left, but with no success, for it 
produced not another cent. 

“ Then I will at least keep what I have,” he now said, 
and from that hour he became miserly and avaricious, and 
tortured his wife and children, who had to starve with an 
abundance of money in the house. 

“Alas! these are only groschen!” he would sigh as often 
as he looked at his money bags, “ ah, if they were thalers, 
thalers ! yes, thalers !” and then he would run out through 
the fields and forest, and would curse his benefactors, the old 
man, and Ilse. 

One day, as he was in this way raving and roaming about 
the forest, there suddenly appeared before him a huntsman, 
with a wild, dark and sun-burned face. 

“Which way, friend?” he said to Thomas. 

“ Out of the world, I care not !” was the sulky reply. 

“Ho, ho,” replied the other, laughingly — “ ho, ho, that is 
going rather far ; if you will take my advice, you will stay 


140 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


in this world, which is a very good world, and has a cure 
for every evil, an antidote for every bane.” 

“ None for mine,” growled Thomas. 

The huntsman looked sharply at him, and then said in a 
slow tone : “ Then it must be your own fault, or that of 
your over delicate conscience. A smart fellow, like you, 
who has the courage to engage with anybody — no matter 
whom, if it is necessary — I say a smart fellow like you, must 
succeed in everything ; if you will confide in me, I will 
promise you beforehand, that if I cannot help you myself, I 
can tell you a means by which you can help yourself.” 

Thomas, whose sole study had only one aim and end, 
and who would risk all and everything to gain that end, 
now told the huntsman, whilst they were proceeding deeper 
into the forest, his whole history. 

The hunter smiled scornfully, and remarked, when 
Thomas had concluded : 

“ Oh, yes, I know all about Use and that stingy old man, 
and their groschen! Poor devil, how you must have 
worked! Why, it would have been better if you had 
jumped off the Ilse-rock! — a groschen! Pshaw — stuff! 
Here, just look at this fellow !” and with these words he 


THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC. 


141 


handed Thomas a bright, new thaler. Thomas took it 
greedily — turned it round, and behold, he had two thalers in 
his hand. 

“Aha,” now cried the hunter, “this fellow works better 
than your poor miserable groschen ; and what enhances its 
value is, that its virtue is not restricted by stupid moral 
conditions. On the contrary, the more you work it, the 
faster it breeds. Well, would you like to win a thaler like 
this?” 

“Would I!” exclaimed Thomas, greedily — “would I? 
only tell me how I can obtain one ?” 

“ There is no other direct way of obtaining it,” replied the 
hunter, “ than by giving yourself to the black huntsman.” 

Thomas drew back in horror, and cried : “ What say 
you? — to the evil one ?” 

“ The black one, I have said, not the evil one.” 

“ Did you gain your thaler in that way?” 

“ Certainly. Yet there is still another mode ; and that is, 
if you can steal a breeding thaler from somebody else. 
Now, rich Michel, your neighbor, has one, and carries it day 
and night about with him underneath his jacket and nearest 
his heart.” 


142 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


“ Then I will not be able to get it so easily.” 

“ Of course not ; and if he should be able afterwards to 
tell even one word about it — do you understand me — to tell 
a word, then you not only will fall into the devil’s hands, 
but the breeding thaler also — and only in such a case loses 
its power.” 

“ Fool !” muttered Thomas, and a fearful resolve ripened 
in his mind. 

He walked along by the hunter’s side, deeper and deeper 
into the forest. Suddenly the hunter stopped, and said : 
“ Hush!” and kneeling down, he levelled his rifle at a deer 
which rested in the low wood close by. Thomas took a 
long knife out of his breast pocket. 

A shot was heard — the deer fell, but at the same moment 
Thomas stuck his knife up to the handle into the other’s 
back, and the hunter fell bleeding on the ground. A rattle 
in his throat, a few convulsions, and he expired without 
having uttered another word. 

Quickly Thomas opened the other’s coat, found the 
breeding thaler* and after he had cleaned his bloody knife in 
the sod, he fled from the forest. 

On his way he examined the thaler, and found to his great 


THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC. 


143 


joy, that its magic power was unimpaired. True, a shudder 
and horrible fear came upon the murderer’s soul, but he 
struggled with it, and only thought of the masses of money 
he soon expected to have. 

When he arrived home, he heard bad news ; his wife 
had accidentally fallen and injured herself, and now lay 
upon the point of death. She died towards evening, and 
his conscience bitterly reproached Thomas, as he stood by 
her death-bed. But his heart was so hardened, that he soon 
forgot her, even as he had already forgotten all humane 
feelings, and only when he sat in his cellar, and by the dim 
glimmer of a lamp, counted his thalers and added more to 
the piles he already possessed, he felt comparatively satisfied 
and well. 

But often, whilst thus engaged, the bloody figure of the 
murdered huntsman would appear before his heated fancy — 
then, in fright and horror he would rush from the cellar, nor 
venture in again for several days — until his avarice would 
again vanquish his fears. 

He no longer cared for his house nor family — had he not 
money enough — his children grew wild and worthless— 


144 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


what cared he ? — he had money and could get as much more 
as he wanted, and that healed all his troubles and pains. 

About a year had elapsed since the death of his wife, 
when he had, upon urgent business, to undertake a journey ; 
with fear and trembling he left his money bags, and only 
took with him the breeding thaler, which as usual he had 
carefully hidden in his breast pocket. 

He arrived safely at the place of his destination, closed his 
business to his satisfaction, and again got into his wagon to 
return home as quickly as possible. 

But on the way he was suddenly attacked by robbers ; 
they pulled him from the wagon, plundered that of its 
contents, and then began to search his person. In vain 
were all his prayers, all his assurances that he had nothing 
of value by him, the thieves searched and searched, until at 
last they found that thaler. One of the robbers turned it 
over in his hand, and behold, the magic power rqvealed 
itself at once. 

“ Oho !” cried the robbers triumphantly, “ oho, a breeding 
thaler ! That is the reason this old miser grew so rich ; 
well, well, now go home, as quick as you can, or we will 
break your skull!” and amidst laughter and blows, they 


THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC. 


145 


drove him a short distance along the road, and then 
disappeared in the darkness of the forest. 

More dead than alive, Thomas reached his home. 
Quickly he ran to his cellar — his money boxes and bags 
were all safe — but his principal treasure, his breeding thaler 
was gone forever, for he had not recognized any of the 
robbers, and they had probably left the neighborhood at 
once, for the robbery was a very bold and daring one, such as 
had never occurred there before. The police and soldiery, 
who, on Thomas’ report, had been sent to search the forest, 
had not been able to discover a trace of them anywhere. 

And now Thomas, with all his hoarded wealth, passed his 
days in misery and wretchedness ; and as often as he saw 
his neighbor, the rich Michel, the open, happy and contented 
face of the latter doubled his discontent and bitterness. 

“Yes, he can laugh,” he would murmur to himself; 
“ nobody has taken his breeding thaler away from him, and 
he can produce thalers as many as he likes.” 

Thus he nourished envy, malice and bitterness in his 
breast, until at last it changed to mad fury and bloodthirst. 

“ Am I not a fool!” he cried at last ; “ am I not a fool to 

worry myself in this way ?” Why should not I obtain 

7 


146 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


that breeding tlialer ? Yes, I must and will have it — and if 
I have to murder Michel, what then ? One has already 
fallen my victim, and I don’t think Michel is any better 
than he was, though he professes to be as pious and honest, 
and gives charity to the rabble even as I once used to do.” 

He found an excuse to visit Michel, and closely observed 
all the localities of the house, and, above all, Michel’s 
sleeping room. 

“ This very night it shall be done,” he said to himself, as 
he walked home again. 

Night came, and when everything in the village was 
quiet — when even the watchman was snoring at his post — 
Thomas crept softly to Michel’s house, took a pane of glass 
out of the window, opened it, entered, and crept softly up 
stairs to Michel’s bed-room. The latter slept peacefully 
and quietly. 

“ Devil, this fellow must have- a strong mind,” said 
Thomas, “ that he can sleep at all, and sleep so quietly; I 
have not slept so, this many a day.” 

Softly he approached the bed. He would not kill Michel, 
if it could be avoided. But as he felt about the bed, in 


THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC 


147 


search of the breeding thaler, Michel awoke, and exclaimed, 
“ Who is there ?” 

Thomas was frightened; but now having no longer a 
choice, he quickly drew his knife and stabbed Michel to the 
heart. Without uttering a word, or even a groan, the latter 
sunk back upon the bed, and was dead. 

Quickly now Thomas took the coin which Michel had 
carried by a ribbon around his neck, and hurried home as 
fast as his legs would carry him. 

He reached his house unobservedly, and his first business 
now was to examine the coin. But horror, upon horror ! 
“ mocking, cheating fiend !” he exclaimed, as he saw it. It 
was no other than his own old breeding groschen, which he 
had carelessly thrown back into the Use after it had become 
worthless. 

“Yes, the mockery of the fiend!” he suddenly heard 
behind him, with an unearthly laugh. He looked around, 
and his blood became cold as ice, for the murdered huntsman 
stood close by his side, grinning at him in triumph and 
contempt. 

“ Know me now, mortal worm !” he exclaimed, in a voice 


148 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


of thunder, — “ know me as thine evil spirit, whom thou 
shouldst have vanquished, but who is now alone thy lord 
and master. Thy measure is now full. Even then, when 
thou didst attack me from behind to murder me, thine was a 
deadly crime, although I had represented myself to thee as 
a criminal. But thou hast now also murdered the innocent 
Michel, who had wisely used the gift of the good spirit, 
and had done good and no wrong. His blood cries for 
vengeance, and I will fulfil it upon thee.” 

At these words, he took the trembling Thomas by the 
hair, and carried him on the wings of the night wind to the 
top of the “ Ilsenstein.” 

“ Look down here, look beneath thee !” he cried, holding 
the trembling peasant over the precipice — “ look down, for 
here is thine end !” 

And with a loud fiendish laugh, he hurled the wretched 
man down the abyss. His body and limbs were mangled 
and torn to pieces on the projecting rocks, and the stream 
beneath swept them away from the sight of man forever. 

His children found the ill-gotten treasures in the cellar — 
but as their father had left them only money, and nothing 


THE BREEDING GROSCHEN, ETC. 


149 


but money, it brought them no blessing. Several of them 
died in poverty and wretchedness ; the others in crime and 
misery — for “it is only the parents’ love and their blessing 
which builds the children’s fortunes.” 











































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$i&£.9 ver$ tbe Fair y 


p. 153 











tlPPB, 

THE GOATHERD. 

A FAIRY TALE OF SWITZERLAND. 

The mezereon and the mountain lilies bloomed upon the 
hills, and the wall- wort on the edge of the forest, or among 
the hedges which enclosed fields and gardens ; and the 
Senners, that is the cow-herds and the goatherds, of the 
Puster- valley prepared for departure with their flocks to the 
beautiful pasture among the Alps. For miles, even before 
the droves of cattle came in sight, could the bells of the herds, 
and the merry lowing of the cows be heard, for Peter 
Saibel, the big senner alone, drove more than one hundred 
cows to the Alps. Slowly and with solemn mien, he headed 
the procession. In his hand he carried the long staff, and his 
hat and shoes were adorned with loops and rosettes of many- 
colored ribbons. 

7# 


154 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Close behind him, and, as it seemed, imitating him in 
grandeur and pride, followed the beauty of the herd, the 
queen cow, the victress of the cow fights which frequently 
take place in the high Alps. As a diadem, she wore an 
immense wreath of mountain flowers, and her large bell was 
suspended from her neck by an embroidered collar. Behind 
her came the other cows, all adorned with variegated rib- 
bons, with wreaths, bouquets and merry bells ; following 
these, came the keeper of the young cattle, with the calves 
and oxen ; and lastly came Seppi, the goatherd, with his 
numberless flock of goats, a handsome and good boy of 
about fourteen years, with long blonde curls, a tall, well- 
formed figure, and so kind an expression of face, that every 
child in the valley was fond of him. 

No one, at all the farm-houses which the imposing proces- 
sion passed, paid much attention to the vain and stylish 
senner, who proudly strutted in front of his herd ; but young 
and old had a smile and a friendly nod for Seppi, who looked 
extremely well in his red vest and clear white shirt-collar, 
and even the boys said to each other : “ Just look, what a 
fine fellow our Seppi is ! he will be the smartest man in the 
valley, when he once gets along in the world, and can 


SEPPI. 


155 


eau unougli to dress himself better. But just look 

at the senior; he looks like St. Stevens* in a cabbage 
garden !” and all laughed, and agreed with the speaker. 

When the droves had reached the plains among the 
Alps, and the cattle quietly sought pasture, the herds 
divided, and Seppi with his goats came near a pretty large 
pond. The goatherd was tired of his long walk, and 
stretched himself among the high grass by the water edge, 
and although the sun still stood very high, it was cool 
by the water’s side, and a gentle air rippled the waves, and 
the blue sky reflected its image back on the surface of the 
clear waters. Seppi always was happy at heart, though he 
was the poorest lad in the whole Puster-valley, but to-day 
he was especially happy, because spring had returned upon 
the beautiful green Alps, and our boy could now again take 
his herds to pasture upon the rich, blooming meadows. And 
for this reason he sang one merry song after the other, for 
the world 2nd all around him, delighted him. 

Suddenly, as he lay quietly in the high grass, he saw a 
light fog arise on the top of the waters, and the fog became 
thicker and thicker every moment. He closely watched this 
phenomenon, and observed a most lovely figure gradually 
* A stupid, boorish fellow. 


156 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


emerging from the fog as from a close veil. She wore a 
wreath of water lilies around her long black hair, a golden 
crown rested upon that, and in the midst of the crown, 
sparkled a large diamond. She was more beautiful than 
the picture of the Madonna in the forest chapel, which was 
the most beautiful thing Seppi had ever seen. 

“I wonder if that is a lake fairy?” Seppi thought to 
himself, and had a great inclination to run away. But the 
beautiful lady beckoned him, and said : “ Sing that beautiful 
song again, my boy, for that has called me hither, and I will 
richly reward you for it.” 

“ Well,” said Seppi to himself, as he lost all fear — “ she 
speaks so kind and so friendly, and I think she is much too 
beautiful to do me any harm, as stupid people say that 
mermaids are apt to do.” And he sung his song again and 
again, until the fairy signified that she was obliged to him, 
and had heard enough. 

“ I will now give you a cap full of gold sand ; with that 
you can buy land, hire people and have as big a herd as 
your senner,” she said. “ Or perhaps you have anothei 
wish, which you want me to fulfill?” 

“If you are a water fairy,” replied Seppi, confidingly 


SEPPt.. 


157 


“I would rather that you showed me your sub-marine 
dominions ; it must be very cool and beautiful beneath the 
blue waters.” 

“Give me your hand, then,” said the fairy, who guided 
him across the water, and Seppi found to his astonishment 
that his feet remained perfectly dry ; in the middle of the 
pond, she stopped, and touched the surface of the water 
with a small wand of whalebone ; and the waves opened, 
and a broad staircase appeared, the steps of which were of 
pure crystal; the fairy conducted Seppi down the stairs, 
who wondered, whether down below there, he would find 
such beautiful green mats, and such handsome flowers as 
above, where the bright sun shone ; and gladly would he 
have jumped down three or four steps at a time, in order to 
be quickly there. But this was not so easily done, for he 
seemed to have walked more than an hour already, and still 
the stairs appeared to have no end. But every moment the 
fairy seemed to him more beautiful, he loved her more and 
more, and it appeared as if all the light that shone around 
him, only came from her eyes, which were as blue as the 
horizon he loved to look upon. Her hand was as white as 
snow, and her nails looked like painted rose-leaves; her 


158 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


small foot scarcely touched the ground, and lay like a 
lily in its sandal. Seppi could not cease looking at her, 
and he felt of a sudden, as if it would be the greatest 
misfortune that could happen to him, if he were compelled 
again to separate from her ; for in all the world, as far as he 
had seen it, he had never seen anything as beautiful as the 
water fairy, and he required no other gift from her, than the 
permission to remain near her as long as he should live. 
And this he told her in all confidence, even before they had 
reached her domains ; but though she listened to these 
words with a kindly smile, and gently smoothed his golden 
hair, she made no reply. 

Then Seppi took courage, and said : “ Did you not 
promise me, in payment for my songs, to fulfill my dearest 
wish ? Now there will never be anything so dear to me as 
yourself, and therefore you must go with me to the beautiful 
green Alps, and always remain there with me.” 

“I dare not live by the light, or among men,” answered 
the fairy sadly ; “ and cannot therefore grant you that wish, 
as much as I might desire to do so. But come first down to 
my dwelling, and you will find many other things worthy of 
your wish.” 


SEPri. 


159 


“ If f<&i\ dare not return to the light with me, no one shall 
prevent me from staying down below here with you. And 
that you may see that I am in earnest in my request, just 
have these stairs destroyed, as soon as we are down ; for 

' I 

without you, I don’t wish to return to the world.” 

“ Only once every hundred years, and then only for one 
day, I may rise above the surface of the waters,” said the 
fairy, “ and no one but myself can conduct you back to your 
home. Therefore consider well what you desire ; for I 
either lead you up this day before the sun goes down, or you 
must remain a hundred years here in the depths of the 
waters. And if I even would conduct you back, if after- 
wards you should change your mind, I should lose my life, 
as many of my sisters have done before me. When the first 
ray of the sun touches me before the century is past, I 
shall undergo a fearful transformation, which the greatest 
magician in the world cannot release me from. Therefore, 
I pray you, abandon your wish, which you may easily rue 
afterwards.” 

But Seppi only became more anxious and excited by this 
reply, and swore by all he held holy and dear, that he would 
remain with her as long as he lived. Then suddenly a high 


160 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


portal opened before him, which lead to a large saloon, 
where many elfs were playing. A chandelier with more 
than a hundred branches was suspended from the ceiling, 
and burned blue, red, green, white, and yellow flames ; these 
made the saloon look as bright as if the sun shone into it, 
and spread a delicious odor all around. Here, little lake 
elves were dancing, yonder small fairies were seated around 
a little table, eating diminutive sea-snails, which were most 
deliciously prepared. Anothet set were amusing themselves 
by playing at featherball, with a ball no bigger than a 
pea, and adorned with the most beautiful plumes of the 
humming-bird. Seppi would gladly have joined this play, 
but wherever he stepped, he drove the little people away, 
for he might have buried ten of them beneath his foot. 
And then his figure cast such a large shadow, that the 
company always sat in the dark, when he approached within 
a few steps of them, and they begged the fairy to protect 
them from that fearful giant, of whose thundering voice 
they were so much afraid. 

Now Seppi was very much annoyed that he could not 
play and gambol with the silly little folks, and that he 
should appear such a fright to them. The fairy, who 


SEPPI. 


161 


observed that he was annoyed, conducted him to a sofa 
in a corner, and by a wink commanded her servants to 
bring all sorts of refreshments to her guest. And in large 
crystal bowls they brought sweet watermelons, and all sorts 
of beautifully-prepared fishes and crabs ; in short, everything 
they had handy — and Seppi did full justice to the excellent 
fare, for he had eaten nothing all day. His master, more- 
over, was a very close and stingy man, and did not give his 
servants enough to eat. But although Seppi was very 
hungry, and had never enjoyed so splendid a table before, 
yet there was something wanting which even the fairy 
could not provide for him. There was no bread beneath 
the water; and although all the viands were excellent, they 
did not taste right to Seppi, since he had not the “ staff of 
life,” to which he had always been used. 

“ Now you see,” said the beautiful fairy, sadly, “ that you 
will miss many things below here, to which you were 
accustomed in the world above, and which, with all my 
power, I cannot provide for you. Why, why, would you 
stay here with me, when you liked it so well among 
mankind, and in your pure Alpine air ?” 

But Seppi consoled her, and said that he would willingly 


162 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


miss all terrestrial enjoyments, to be allowed to remain with 
her, and even now he would again leave his home to follow 
her, if she were to bring him back to the upper world. 
Then her face beamed with joy and happiness. She now 
showed the boy her beautiful garden. There, on high 
espaliers, grew rare flowers of wonderful color, and fruits so 
large and beautiful, as Seppi had never seen them before. 
He asked the fairy, whether she would permit him to pluck 
some of these beautiful things, and she replied that every- 
thing in her whole kingdom was his, as well as her own. 
Then Seppi wanted to cull a beautiful rose, which hung 
heavy upon the stem, but when he took it into his hand, he 
found that it was only a work of art, cut from a red jewel, 
and that the green leaves were made of chrysoprase. It 
was the same case with the fruits ; the great plums, which 
invited Seppi, were made of sapphire, the apples of rubies, 
the pears of agate and emerald ; in short, all were made of 
jewels : but though they were beautiful and looked inviting, 
Seppi could not eat them. Then a shade of discontent 
passed over his face, for here he had seen happy children at 
play, and could not join them, or share their joys. He 
found the rarest fruits, but could not eat them ; and with 


SErpi. 


163 


the exception of the fairy, no one understood his language, 
or would reply to him. True, she was always near him, as 
Seppi had desired, and studied constantly to make him 
happy ; but she could not succeed in it ; nay, Seppi even 
began to be afraid of the wonderful things he saw every- 
where around him, and the mysterious power of the fairy 
filled him with awe. 

“ I pray you,” he said one day to her, “ conduct me from 
the artificial garden, and from the splendid saloon, to some 
green meadow, where plain simple grass is growing, such 
as my goats eat : there I will again sing all my songs to 
you, all those songs you love so well.” 

Then the fairy sighed, for her kingdom consisted only of 
the great magic garden, and the beautiful saloon, and she 
could easily perceive that these two places did not suit her 
favorite. For not once since, had he sung so happily as at 
the time when he sat last by the side of the lake ; and when 
he now, at the request of the fairy, sung one of his old melo- 
dies, it had no longer the happy, merry sound as of yore, for 
Seppi’s heart was no more happy ; on the contrary, he was 
sad, and languishing. And yet he was now so much better 
off, than at the time when he was but a poor goatherd, and 


164 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


had to starve in the employ of the avaricious senner. What 
then ailed him ? As he had wished, he was always, daily 
and hourly, by the beautiful fairy, who nursed and 
cherished him like a dear child. He dined every day off five 
courses, and from golden dishes, slept on a soft, luxurious bed 
and beneath a silken cover. And here, in the realms of 
fairy land, reigned an everlasting spring, and it never became 
night ; but the flowers and fruits were only artificial, and 
the light was not that of the sun, but of thousands of lamps 
which hung upon the ceiling of the saloon, and against the 
crystal walls, and burned always. In the world above, no 
one had cared for poor Seppi, who had no parents or 
relatives, and his goats, at the utmost, used at times to lick 
his hands with their small lips. Now, the beautiful fairy 
kissed his forehead, played with his locks, and brought him 
new and beautiful presents every day. ' And with all this, 
Seppi became more sorrowful, day after day, and his merry 
eyes looked dim and sad ; he would have almost given his 
life, to pass another hour by the pond where the fairy had 
met him, and he was constantly thinking of the clear bright 
sun, the blue ether, and the high grass, that grew so merrily 
upon earth, and so fast that he used to see, each morning, 


SEPPI. 


165 


what progress it had made during the night. In the fairy’s 
empire, everything was beautiful beyond description, but he 
never could feel at home ; he wanted so many things that 
he had been used to in the world above — his brown bread, 
the berries he used to pluck in the forest, even his goats, 
which were wont to come at his call. 

“ I really wish,” he said to himself, “the fairy would 
sometimes leave me alone for a moment. I would, just for 
fun, go and see, whether I could find the crystal stairs by 
which I came down here. Only for curiosity — I would not 
ascend — for I am very well here, and the fairy is so kind to 
me, and loves me so much.”. 

And just as if the fairy could read his thoughts, she said, 
on the following morning : “ Seppi, I must leave you for a 
few hours! Try and pass your time, as best you can. 
When I come back, I expect to give you a joyful surprise.” 
It was her intention, to swim as near as possible to the 
surface of the water, and to see, whether n t> child approached 
its neighborhood ; then she would coax it to the edge of the 
lake, and quickly draw it down with her, so that her 
dear Seppi might have a human being near him, to cheer 
him up again. 


166 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


Whilst she was thus waiting and hiding herself beneath 
the water lilies and large leaves that floated upon the pond, 
so that no ray of the sun could reach her, Seppi was walking 
about, torn by restlessness and discontent. He wanted to 
know whether that staircase was still standing, and secretly, 
like an evil conscience, he stole from the saloon. And 
behold, he found the crystal steps, which he had descended 
with the fairy, about a month ago, as he thought, and his 
heart beat loud with joy. 

“ Why did not the good fairy have these stairs torn down, 
as I begged of her ? then these tempting thoughts would not 
have entered my head. But I will only ascend a little ways, 
to see whether I cannot discover the blue sky through the 
water,” he said, as he ascended higher and higher. 

But had not the fairy told him that he could not leave 
the place alone — that she must herself conduct him back to 
the light ? True, but perhaps she only wanted to frighten 
him from the attempt ; he could very easily convince 
himself ; he only wanted to see whether he really could not 
emerge into the open air, and then he would quietly return 
to his place, and the fairy should never know anything of 
this attempt. No, he would never endanger the life of his 


SEPPI. 


167 


beautiful and kind friend, as little as he would leave her ; 
for he well knew, how much she loved him, and that she 
would weep her clear blue eyes blind, if he were to desert 
her. 

But as he thought so, he had already gained the last 
steps; and now all his good intentions suddenly were 
forgotten; he would and must again behold the beautiful 
green earth and the blue sky — and with all his strength, he 
pressed against the crystal ceiling, through which he had 
entered with the fairy, as through a door. 

The fairy, who, as I have above related, was watching 
close by, for a child, now suddenly perceived her faithless 
favorite ; she saw his danger, for he would immediately die, 
if he left her domains (whither he had gone of his own free 
will) alone ; she saw that the door began to move, by the 
heavy pushes of Seppi, and forgot her own safety in her 
anxiety to save him. Quick as lightning she flew to his 
side, took him by the hand, and she herself opened the 
portal, so that Seppi in an instant was above the waters. 

Greedily he breathed the fresh mountain air, that wafted 
across from the Alps — but alas ! — a broad ray of the sun fell 
like melted gold through the opening of the portal upon the 


16 S 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


poor fairy, and with a dying voice, she sighed aloud. 
Frightened, Seppi looked round towards her, and he saw, 
how the folds of the green veil she wore, turned into green 
leaves, her feet and golden sandals changed into yellow 
roots, and her tall, beautiful figure appeared as a reed-shrub 
above the water. And then the waves took Seppi, and 
carried him playfully to the shore; he rubbed his eyes, 
stretched out his arms towards the reed, which a few 
moments before had stood by his side, but which now raised 
its head in the middle of the pond, and reached its thin, 
trembling arms, languishingly towards the shore. A soft 
wail and a sigh passed through the reeds, and cut like a 
bitter reproach, poor 'Seppi’s soul. He covered his face 
with his hands, and ran away, so as not to see that sad reed- 
shrub any more. Thus he finally reached the senner’s 
cottage, which belonged to his master, Peter Saibel. There 
he found an old man, of whom he inquired for the senner. 

“ I am the senner,” replied the other. 

“ But what has become of Peter Saibel?” asked Seppi in 
astonishment. 

“ Why, youngster, you must have been drinking,” replied 
the old man ; “ the Saibel owned this senner’s hut long 


SEPPI. 


169 


before me, and has been dead these eighty years. My 
father used to tell me the story about him, and about a 
young lad, and that both of them had disappeared on the 
same day, and that it was just on the day when the cattle 
were driven out for the first time in the spring. Peter’s 
body was found by some of the mountaineers ; but he had 
always been a loose character, and had, perhaps, stayed too 
long at the tavern ; then he probably crossed a Harsch* and 
was lost. But the young lad, the goatherd, never was 
heard of again.” 

At first Seppi thought that the old man was crazy, but a 
yonng maiden came in, who seemed also to assert all that 
her father said. Eighty years, then, had passed, and this 
long time had seemed to him, whilst in the fairy’s dominions, 
scarcely as many days. If he only had had a little more 
patience, a century would have been passed, and the 
beautiful fairy might have brought him back to the Alps, 
without losing her life in the attempt ! 

And now all joy for him was at an end, for he could no 
longer look upon the clear blue sky, with a pure heart and a 
clear conscience ; for had he not become stained with guilt 

* Frozen snow drifts between the mountains. 

8 


170 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


— did not the death of the beautiful fairy rest upon his 
mind? He no longer found joy in contemplating the 
mountains, and the valleys, or in the bright sunshine ; all the 
day long he lay by the side of the lake, and listened to the 
sad sighing of the reeds. Nay, he once even passed a night 
there, in order to be as near as possible to the fairy. He 
then dreamed that he saw her again floating upon the water, 
as he had first beheld her, wrapped in a thin green veil of 
fog, and that she again, in all her beauty and loveliness, 
offered him her hand to conduct him down to her sub- 
marine palace. And he hastily arose to walk towards her, 
but no hand now held him above the water ; he sank — and 
the cool waves closed over him. For a moment the mirror 
of the lake trembled and shook, and then it again became 
quiet and calm as before. 

Seppi never again rose from the waters ; and to this day 
a soft sighing and murmuring is heard through the reeds 
that grow in solitary lakes and ponds; and that is the 
endless sorrow of the poor transformed fairy, for her lost 
favorite. 


(ttn$ 





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I?©@K, FITl.yg 


A FAIRY TALE OF HOLLAND 

There was once a poor cowherd, who had a wife and 
fourteen children, and very little to feed them with. When 
the fifteenth child came into the world, he was greatly 
distressed, and at a loss for a godfather. He was walking 
thoughtfully along the street, wondering where or how he 
could get a good godfather for his newborn son, when he 
met a man dressed entirely in green. 

“ Whither are you going, friend,” said the man in green, 
to the poor cowherd. 

“Iam looking for a godfather for my boy.” 

The man in green then told him, that he would be 
godfather if the parent would not object. There would then 
be three of them at the baptism, the father, the parson and 
himself. The father agreed, and they went straightway to 
church. When they came to the font, the stranger, instead 


174 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


of touching the child’s forehead, as is customary, imprinted 
three golden letters into its hand. These three letters 
signified that the child’s name was Petrus , and that he 
was to be the richest merchant in Amsterdam. 

Now, it so happened, that there was one already who 
was the richest merchant in Amsterdam, and who had no 
children, except one daughter. This man came to the 
poor cowherd, and told him that he had heard of a child, 
which was to be the richest merchant of Amsterdam, and 
begged him to let him take that child along with him. The 
herd, when he heard this, went to his wife and +old her, that 
the richest merchant of Amsterdam had come to see them, 
and that he begged for the boy. After consulting with her, 
he returned to the merchant, and said : “We don’t give our 
children away for nothing, as if they were young pups.” 

The merchant replied : “ Well, I will give you fourteen 
hundred dollars, if you will sell it to me.” 

So the cowherd returned to his wife, and told her of 
this offer. 

“Do it,” she said to her husband, “for it is a .good 
bargain. For five hundred dollars we will buy us a 
house — five hundred we will loan out on interest, and 


POOR PETRUS. 


175 


upon four hundred we will live, with our remaining fourteen 
children.” 

The merchant paid the money, and took Petrus with him 
to Amsterdam. When he arrived there, his wife said to 
him: “Ah, what a beautiful boy! We will take him and 
educate him as our own child.” 

Then the merchant grew very angry, and said : * Hold 
your tongue about that brat. If you say another word 
about educating him, I will blow your brains out.” He 
then went to carpenter, and had a box made ; he put 
Petrus into that, and threw it into the water. Petrus in his 
box floated on for a long while, until he came towards a 
large mill. A man was standing there by the water., washing 
corn. When he saw the box floating upon the water, he 
ran get a long spear, and with that he managed to draw 
it ashore. When he opened it, and found a handsome, 
smiling little boy in it, he wondered what he should do with 
him, and whether it would not be better to pack him up 
again, and throw him back into the water. However, as he 
pitied the little fellow, he went to the mill to call the miller 
and his Vife. When they saw the boy, they said : “ We 
will keep him and bring him up, and be good to him.” 


176 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


They knew not what was the meaning of the three golden 
letters in the child’s hand. The miller had also a boy of 
his own, and he sent the two to school together. Both 
happened to get the small-pox at the same time. The 
miller’s son became very much marked with it, and grew 
very ugly, but Petrus remained as handsome as ever. In 
consequence of this, the miller and his wife cared very little 
for their own boy, but were very fond of Petrus. Petrus 
grew tall and handsome, but the miller’s boy remained small 
and ugly. 

About this time, the rich merchant of Amsterdam heard 
that the miller had found a boy, and had brought him up as 
his own. So he came to the mill, and when he discovered 
that the boy had the three golden letters, he said to the 
miller: “I wish to send a letter to Amsterdam, as I shall 
continue my journey as far as Paris ; have you anybody that 
can take it for me, and I will pay him for the trouble.” 

Petrus, who wanted to visit Amsterdam, at once offered 
to take it. But the miller said, “ no,” fearing that some 
accident might befall him. But Petrus begged so earnestly 
to go, that he at last obtained permission. The miller said 
to him : “Go in God’s name, but when you come to a 


POOR PETRUS. 


177 


church, and hear the sound of, the organ, don’t pass it 
without going in.” 

And Petrus came to a church, and heard the organ ; so 
he remembered what the miller had told h.m, and entered, 
and took a place in the gallery. There he fell asleep and 
did not awake even after the church was over. Now the 
sexton seeing some one lie upon a bench in the gallery, went 
to the organist, and said : “ There is a person lying up there, 
with a large letter sticking out of his pocket.” 

The organist went with him, took the letter, and said, 
“ that seal is just like mine.” So he opened the letter and 
read it. And in the letter was written, that when the 
bearer should come to Amsterdam, they should give him 
poison, or murder him in some other secret way. The 
organist, however, took paper, pen and ink, and wrote : 
“ The bearer shall immediately be married to my daughter ; 
and if it is not done, I will kill all three of you, when 
I return.” For the organist knew all about the rich 
merchant and his family. When Petrus awoke, he went to 
Amsterdam with the changed letter. Before going, how- 
ever, he excused himself to the organist and sexton, for 
having fallen asleep. He begged them not to think that he 
8 * 


178 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


was wanting in reverence or piety, but that he had been 
very tired.” 

“Well, well,” said the organist, “ that is likely enough; 
go your ways, and may you have much luck in Amsterdam.” 

Petrus delivered the letter to the merchant’s wife, and 
was about to go away again, when she detained him, sent 
for a priest, and had him married to her daughter. 
Immediately after, a letter arrived, announcing the return 
of the merchant. They went all three to meet him at the 
gate. When he saw Petrus, he grew very angry, and 
cried : “ How, you dog, are you still alive ? but you shall not 
have my daughter, until you can bring me three golden 
feathers from the bird Phoenix.” 

And Petrus left Amsterdam, and went to his father, and 
told him of the task he had to accomplish. But the miller 
said : “ Better let that alone, as it might cost your life.” 
But Petrus determined to gain his wife, and to accomplish 
the task. 

So he journeyed first towards Navarra. As he entered the 
city of Navarra, there stood the King, and said to him; 
u Stop, friend, whither away in such a hurry ?” 


“ To the bird Phoenix.” 


POOR PETRUS. 


179 


“ Aha, then you will take a message from me, and 
inquire : Why the Princess, who formerly was so beautiful, 
is now so ugly that nobody wants to look at her V 

“ Very well, I will attend to it,” replied Petrus. 

He next came to Naples, and there he had the same 
adventure. The King asked him, “ Whither V* 

“ To Phoenix.” 

“I have a tree,” said the King, “which formerly bore 
golden fruit, and you must ask Phoenix, what is the reason 
»t does so no longer.” 

He next came to Constantinople. As he passed along 
the street, the Emperor stopped him, and asked the same 
questions as the others had done. On hearing the same 
replies, he told him : “ That he had formerly had a fountain 
of health, at which every sickness and disease could be 
cured. Now it had lost its virtue, and Petrus must inquire 
of Phoenix what was the cause.” 

After he left Constantinople, he met two Jews upon the 
highway. “ Friend, where do you go to in such a hurry V 9 

“ To the bird Phoenix.” 

“ Then you are on the wrong way ; you must take that 
narrow path, which leads you to the Black Sea. There you 


180 


FAIRY TAI ES AND LEGENDS. 


will find a black waterman with golden horns ; then you 
must call out, ‘ fetch over,’ and he will fetch you.” 

And now he came to the Black Sea, and called to the 
waterman, “ fetch over.” 

“Why, what a hurry you are in,” replied the latter; 
“where are you going?” 

“ To the bird Phoenix.” 

“ Then oblige me, by asking him how much longer 1 
must be ferryman, for I would like to be released. One can 
seethe castle of the bird Phoenix from here.” 

Petrus continued on his way towards it. When he 
arrived there, there was an old invalide who stood sentinel at 
the gate. 

“ Where are you going?” said the invalide. 

“ To the bird Phoenix.” 

Then the invalide told him, that the bird knew a great 
many things, and that he wanted him to ask Phoenix, 
whether he might not be released, as he had already stood 
there over eleven hundred years as a sentinel. 

Petrus promised, and boldly entered the castle. There he 
found first, the Princess, who asked him why he had thus 
disked his life. He told her the cause, and also everything 


POOR PETRUS. 


181 


that had happened on his route. She promised to assist 
him, and then secreted him under the bed. 

When the bird Phoenix came home, he snuffed the air, 
and said that he smelled human flesh. But the Princess 
told him that the griffin had passed by the castle with a man 
in his beak, and some blood had dropped down. 

“That is possible,” replied Phoenix, “now bring me my 
dinner.” 

She brought' him his meal, and after he had eaten, he laid 
his head in her lap and fell asleep. In playing with him 
upon her lap, she suddenly pulled out a feather, and threw 
it to Petrus, under the bed. 

“ The bird said : “ Why do you pull me so ?” 

“Oh, I did not pull your wing, but I had fallen asleep, 
and dreamed, and pushed against you.” 

“ Arid what did you dream ?” said the bird. 

She told him the fate of the Princess of Navarra. 

“ That is caused by her pride and vanity. When she 
took the sacrament, she passed around the altar, and threw 
the sacred wafer out of her mouth. A frog, which still sits 
behind the altar, has taken the wafer and swallowed it ; if 


182 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


the Princess takes it out of the frog, she will be well and 
beautiful again.” 

Phoenix laid down his head again, and when he was 
asleep, she pulled out a second feather, which she threw to 
Petrus under the bed. 

“ Don’t pull me so,” now cried Phoenix. 

“ I did not pull you, but hit you with my hand in a 
dream.” 

“ And what did you dream ?” 

“ I dreamed of a golden tree at Naples,” and she told him 
all that Petrus wanted to know. 

And Phoenix replied : “ Beneath the tree, there is a toad 
as large as a wash-tub. If that toad is quartered and 
smoked, the tree will bear again.” 

When Phoenix was asleep again, she pulled out a third 
feather and threw it under the bed as before. To his 
accusation of pulling him, she again pleaded a dream, and 
then told him of the fountain at Constantinople which had 
lost its healing powers. The bird replied : 

“ That is caused by their wickedness. If all Constanti- 
nople contained one virtuous maiden, and she would bathe 
•*. vhat fountain, its power would be as good as before ” 


POOR PETRUS. 183 

In the same way, as the three first, she pulled out a fourth 
feather, and then told him of the old ferryman, who had 
been the “ fetch-over’ ’ for 1100 years. Phoenix replied : 

“ If the old fellow were not so stupid, but quit the boat 
first, after bringing somebody over, the other would have to 
take his place.” 

At last, she pulled the fifth feather from the bird, and 
when he became angry, and asked her why she continued 
to pull him so, she said : I dreamed that at our door there is 
a sentinel, with a twenty-four pounder, who is astonished 
that he is not released, in 1100 years.” 

“ Why,” replied Phoenix, “he only needs to throw that 
cannonball at the first man that comes within ten steps of 
him.” 

The bird Phoenix now fell asleep again, and she did not 
disturb him any more. When he awoke, and had eaten and 
drunk, he flew out of the window. But he returned several 
times, and flew around the room, until at last he was gone, 
and the Princess said to Petrus : “ Now he does not come 
back again. Have you noted everything ?” 

“ I have,” replied Petrus. 

“ Then go, and don’t let the invalide cheat you, nor the 


184 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


ferryman. Take as much gold and jewels from here as you 
like.” 

When he passed the invalide, the latter asked him 
the questions. Petrus replied : “Wait a moment,” and 
after he was far enough away from him he told him the 
reply. 

“Oh,” cried the sentinel,” “if you were only a little 
nearer.” 

When the ferryman begged for his answer, he said : “I 
cannot tell you on the water ; wait until we get ashore.” 
Only after he was ten steps distant from the boat, he told 
old “fetch-over” how he might be released. The latter 
raved and swore, but to no purpose. 

At Constantinople he brought the proper answer J;o the 
Emperor. The latter replied : I have three daughters, one 
of fourteen, one of sixteen, and one of eighteen years of age. 
One of them certainly must be a pious, virtuous maiden. 
And all three, one after the other, had to bathe in the 
fountain ; but it was of no avail. Then the Emperor issued 
an edict, requesting all the maidens of the empire to come 
and bathe in the fountain. The one, whose purity and 
virtue would restore the power of the water, should be 




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Poor Peters and the Fetch-over." p '84 


TOOR PETRUS. 


185 


handsomely rewarded and highly honored. But very few 
of the young women would willingly agree to this trial of 
their virtue, as they feared that their minds were not pure 
and pious enough. Many of them were forced to the trial 
by their parents, who hop3& to gain the promised reward, 
but all were equally unsuccessful. 

At last, an old maid of sixty, a remnant of the old Christian 
times, came, and her bathing restored the virtue of the water. 
All the young maidens throughout the empire were glad of 
this, and delighted for two causes ; first, that it was a very 
old and homely person, who proved the most virtuous, and 
secondly, that the ordeal existed no longer. 

“ My dear Petrus,” said the Emperor, “ to show you my 
gratitude, I will give you ten barrels of precious stones, and 
ten thousand men as a body guard.” 

With these Petrus reached Naples, and told the King the 
answer of Phoenix, respecting the tree. The remedy was 
tried, and soon the young branches began to sprout. The 
King presented Petrus with ten barrels of gold and ten 
thousand men as a body guard. 

He next came to Navarra. Here, too, he told the reply 
of the bird Phoenix, which, being acted upon, had the desired 


186 


airy tales and legends. 


effect. The Princess became as beautiful as ever. The 
King, who had no gold, gave Petrus ten barrels of silver 
and ten thousand men as a body guard. Petrus now sent a 
courier ahead, to request his friends to meet him. 

He brought all his wealth, slmwed the five feathers to 
his father-in-law, and told him all his adventures. The 
father-in-law, when he heard how much Petrus had gained, 
wanted to do the same. He went to Navarra, and enquired 
if they had any message for the bird Phoenix, then to 
Naples, Constantinople, &c., &c. When be came to the 
ferryman, old “ fetch-over” left him behind in the boat, so that 
he could not again return, and Petrus was now the richest 
merchant in Amsterdam. 


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TtHlE PI©TP^E ©F TKIE L©[HP. 

A LEGEND OF ART. 

Many years ago, there lived in a small village, a poor 
widow, who had an only son called Benjamin. This son 
was well-beloved by all who knew him, for he was a very 
good, pious boy, and moreover, very handsome. Above all, 
however, the pastor of the village was fond of him, and 
instructed him in reading and writing, and even in Latin, just 
as he taught his own sons. 

Benjamin was very attentive to his lessons, and progressed 
so well, that the good parson was willing, to send him to 
college and even to the University. But as Benjamin grew 
older, it became evident, that he was born for a painter , 
since he could draw almost everything he saw, and without 
any instruction, and was so fond of this pursuit, that he 
forgot eating, drinking, and sleeping, over it. 


190 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


About this time, it happened that a noble gentleman, who 
was just returning from Italy, passed through the village, 
and stopped at the parsonage, since the accommodations at 
the inn were not good enough for him. 

The gentleman had a great many things to tell of foreign 
countries, especially, of mighty Rome ; the greatest city in 
Italy, once the greatest in the world, and of the great and 
wondrous works of art, to be found there. Benjamin was a 
most excited and attentive listener, and frequently in a 
modest tone, asked a question of the strange gentleman, on 
subjects which he could not quite understand. 

The stranger was pleased with the boy’s modesty, and 
attention, and when the pastor showed him some of little 
Ben’s drawings, he observed that it would be a sin, not to 
foster so fine a talent, and proposed to the pastor, to take 
Benjamin with him to the city, where he would place him 
with a celebrated painter, who would instruct him in the 
noble a.rt, and that he himself would provide him, during 
his apprenticeship, with clothes and all other necessaries. 

The parson as well as Benjamin’s mother gladly accepted 
the proposal of the kind gentleman, and little Ben thus saw 
his warmest wish fulfilled at once. He departed with his 


THE PICTURE OF THE LORD. 


191 


patron to the city, was received as a pupil, by an excellent 
painter, and soon progressed so much in his art, that all were 
astonished at his talent. With all this, he was still pious, 
pure and modest, and although he was possessed of proper 
courage and spirit, yet he avoided all intercourse with wild 
companions. 

As he had thus reached his fifteenth year, he concluded to 
paint a picture, which should be an evidence of his talent, 
as also of his pure heart. Secretly, he therefore painted 
the image of the Saviour, at the moment when He 
pronounces the words : “ Come all ye, who are heavy laden 
and oppressed, and I will comfort ye.” When the picture 
was completed, he exhibited it publicly, and all came to see 
it, and were astonished at its beauty. When the King 
heard of it, he came to see the picture, and having seen it, 
requested the young artist to come to him. He then 
commanded that Benjamin should travel to Italy, at royal 
expense, there to perfect himself more and more in his 
beautiful art. 

Meanwhile, Benjamin’s mother had died, and had been 
buried in the village church, and her son had sent the 
money to defray all the expenses. Although she was dead, 


192 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


the son had not forgotten his poor mother, but before going 
to Italy, he once more visited the village, and presented the 
parson with the beautiful picture of the Saviour, to hang it 
up in the church, in memory of his departed mother. This 
was done with great solemnity on the following Sunday, 
and Maria, the parson’s daughter, who was of the same age 
as Benjamin, promised to the latter, that she would, every 
Sunday, hang a fresh wreath beneath the picture. 

Benjamin now travelled to Italy, and arrived safely at 
Rome, where he arduously studied the works of Raphael 
and Michael Angelo, the two greatest artists of the world 
He took these for his models, and soon his fame reached 
every country, and Kings and Emperors called him to their 
courts, and paid enormous sums in order to obtain works of 
his hands. 

And now Benjamin lived in luxury, and his pure love of 
art was superseded by vanity and insatiable ambition. Still, 
as far as execution was concerned, his art rose yet higher 
and higher, but his thoughts and the subjects he chose, 
were no longer so simply grand, and pure as before. On 
the contrary, they became as his own life, luxurious, volup- 
tuous, and flattering to the senses only, and gradually, more 


THE PICTURE OF THE LORD. 


193 


and more, they deserted the path which points, by the 
noblest works of art, to a Supreme Being, who, in His 
goodness, has planted this appreciation in our breast. 

At last, he no longer painted sacred scenes or objects, but 
pictures only, fuu of bitterness and mockery at men and 
manners ; and as he possessed the art of painting vice in 
the most beautiful and tempting forms, he created most won- 
derful pictures, works which repulsed whilst they attracted, 
and vice versa , at the sight of which, all whose purity of 
soul was gone, (and these were unfortunately too many,) 
were greatly delighted, and lauded the artist for his deep 
study, his bold execution, and his thorough knowledge of 
the world. More and more numerous became the marks of 
distinction he received, still greater the prices paid for his 
works, but, in proportion, still more dissolute and wild were 
his own habits of life. 

True, he often thought of the time when all had been 
different ; and then deep and bitter sorrow overcame him, 
for he had to confess to himself, that all had been better in 
those days. He often resolved to leave his companions and 
the seductive country he lived in, to return to his dear native 

land, to his sweet little village, there to paint in peace, as 
9 


194 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


he once used to do. But soon he found, that the paradise 
once lost is not easily regained — and again the wild 
whirlpool of his present life tore him along. 

When he lived in Rome, he had a friend, who had there 
done him many a favor, though he confessed himself that he 
was not rich. Benjamin, however, as he became rich, 
remembered his friend with gratitude, and sent for him to 
come to Naples, where he now lived. This friend especially 
excited him to continue upon the path which he had now 
chosen, since it produced wealth, fame, pleasure and joy, 
and laughed at his humors, as he called the better feelings 
of Benjamin, so long, that the latter became ashamed, and 
yielded to everything his friend proposed, till at last he 
became perfectly insatiable of pleasure. 

But even this did not satisfy his friend, who led him on, 
farther and farther ; and although Benjamin often shuddered 
when he glanced back at his past, and compared it with his 
present life, he could not do otherwise, for his friend had 
too closely entangled him with the allurements of vice. 

Thus, it happened once, that he came to a church, and 
saw a lady of extraordinary beauty kneeling before the 
altar. The maiden was the betrothed of another young 


THE PICTURE OP THE LORD. 


195 


artist, who painted as purely and piously as Benjamin had 
painted once upon a time. 

The most violent love suddenly filled Benjamin’s heart 
when he saw this maiden, and he wanted to marry her at 
once. When his friend perceived this, he remarked, that 
“ this was not at all impossible ; that Benjamin’s wish might 
be fulfilled, since he was much handsomer and more 
celebrated than the young artist. He only required 
courage, and that courage which was not afraid of com- 
mitting a small sin.” 

And Benjamin in his blindness was not afraid, but 
pursued the maiden with affectionate looks, letters and 
presents, until he induced her to break her pledge to her 
betrothed. 

And now his false friend betrayed everything to the 
young artist, and one day when Benjamin was seated by 
the side of the maiden, her betrothed suddenly appeared 
through a side door, and run his sword through the bosom 
of the fair maiden. He then was about to attack Benjamin, 
but the latter, in his fury and excitement, drew a pistol and 
killed the other on the spot. 

The' noise had brought a number of people to the room. 


196 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


and when they saw what had occurred, they were about to 
arrest Benjamin, and to throw him into prison. But 
Benjamin was very strong in his rage, overthrew them all, 
made his escape from the house and from the city, and 
hastened to seek refuge in a forest. 

And suddenly his friend stood before him in the forest, and 
said with a bitter smile : “ Why Benjamin, what are you 
doing here, in the lonely forest ? Arise, and return to 
Naples ! All await you there, and look anxiously for the 
return of the great artist.” 

“ Tempter, devil !” exclaimed Benjamin. 

“You have guessed rightly, friend,” replied the other, 
“ and I am only astonished that you did not know me before ; 
but men are all alike ; only when you stand upon the brink 
of the infernal regions, and cannot return again, you begin to 
discover the devil.” 

“ Fiend, thou art deceiving thyself,” exclaimed Benjamin; 
“ I am not lost yet.” 

“You certainly are, without me 1” said the other with a 
grin. “ Your glory and fame are at an end, unless I assist 
you; for in the first place, the officers of justice are in 
pursuit of you, and in the next place, your health is so 


THE PICTURE OF THE LORD. 


197 


undermined by your mode of life, that you can only survive 
a few months longer, in the regular course of nature. Listen, 
then ; I have you half already, now be wholly mine, and I 
will give you fame , health, pleasure, and a long life. You 
shall live, until you are tired of living.” 

“ No, no,” said Benjamin, “ still do I trust to the mercy 
of Heaven, and even if my life be lost, my everlasting soul 
shall not be. Hence, avaunt, fiend, tempter!” 

And the tempter fled from him, and Benjamin, poor and 
unknown, wandered back to his native land. On the route 
he well observed that the fiend had spoken the truth, and 
that he could not live much longer, for his strength 
diminished daily. 

It was a fine evening in spring, when at last he reached 
the end of his weary journey, and saw the lovely village 
where his picture of Christ hung in the church by his 
mother’s tomb. As he first beheld the spire of that little 
village church beyond the well-known beach grove, he 
sank upon his knees, and wept, and thanked Heaven for 
having spared him thus far. He then arose, and whilst the 
vesper bells were ringing, he entered his dear native 
village. 


198 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


His first walk was towards the church yard — the church 
door stood open, and he entered the house of the Lord. 

Once again, after more than ten years, he stood upon that 
spot ! although still a youth in years, yet near the end of his 
earthly career. There he stood, before the tomb of his 
mother, which soon was to receive him, also. 

Opposite to him hung his picture of the Saviour, magical- 
ly illuminated by the last rays of the sinking sun, and 
Benjamin felt now, that he had produced many a more 
artistical, but never a better painting, than that picture. 
Humbly he bowed his head and said : “ Behold, oh Lord, 
I have returned — weary and heavy laden and with guilt — 
but thy mercy endureth forever.” And he still prayed, and 
prayed, whilst the bells were ringing, and the branches of 
the holly, outside, were gently tapping against the church 
window. 

And a young woman approached, and with her were two 
lovely children bearing wreaths of flowers, and a young man 
in clerical clothes was with them. The young woman took 
the children to the picture, lifted one after the other, and 
the little innocents hung their wreaths about the picture, 
and the mother arranged them afterwards 




The Picture of the Lord 


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THE PICTURE OF THE LORD. 


199 


The young man, however, when he observed Benjamin, 
who had sunk down exhausted upon a seat, approached him 
and said: “ Peace be with you.” 

“ Amen!” said Benjamin, with a look of deep gratitude. 

“ You are a stranger here,” said the young clergyman. 

“ No, sir,” was the reply. “ I have been here before, but 
that was a long time since, and I have come a great 
listance lately. Is the old pastor still alive ?” 

“ He has been gathered to his fathers ! I am his 
accessor and his son-in-law ; yonder you see my wife and 
ihildren.” 

Benjamin looked up and smiled. 

The parson smiled also and said: “You must excuse 
them for not having noticed you sooner, for they are very 
busy at their last work for the week. Look at yonder 
picture of the Saviour, and you will confess that it is worthy 
the attention and veneration of good people. The artist 
who painted it is a native of this village. He and my 
Maria grew up together, and she was very fond of him. If 
he had remained here, I might, perhaps, have sought her 
Uand in vain ; but he went to Italy, is now a most celebrated 


200 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS 


master, and has most probably, in his wealth and fori ne 
forgotten Maria and this poor little village.” 

“Never, never,” exclaimed Benjamin passionately. 

‘What ails you?” cried the pastor, greatly startled at 
the energy and impetuosity of the exclamation. 

Meanwhile Maria and her children had concluded their 
task, and now also approached the stranger. 

“ Who is that strange, pale young man ?” she inquired in 
a low tone of her husband. 

Then Benjamin suddenly raised his head, looked smilingly 
into her face, and said : “You were faithful to your promise, 
Maria ; accept my thanks, and when I shall rest with my 
poor mother, let these two angels wind wreaths around my 
grave, as they do around my early work, yonder.” 

Then Maria suddenly recognized him, and with a scream, 
and the exclamation, “ Father of Heaven, this is Benjamin!” 
she sunk upon his breast. 

But Benjamin smiled a happy yet unearthly smile : “ The 
Lord has forgiven me,” he said, “ and thou, Maria, wilt bear 
me witness!” He sighed again, and with a gentle smile 
upon his lips, he passed into the regions where alone his 
early pictures could obtain their inspiration from. 


V 


THE PICTURE OP THE LORD. 


201 


As he had requested, he was placed in the tomb by the 
side of his mother, and Maria and her husband and her 
children, as long as they lived, never failed to adorn it with 
flowers. 

High in the ranks of arts, his name lives to the present 
day, and many, very many students seek to imitate that 
style which robbed him of his happiness, and destroyed him, 
whilst he was still a youth. 

Perhaps none among all his imitators, understand him 
rightly, and very few know aught about his best, his master 
woik : — “ THE PICTURE OF THE LORD.” 


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OIL OJA, Tlnll Hiy AM. 

A RUSSIAN LEGEND. 

In the celebrated town of Murom, in the parish of 
Karatscharoma, there lived a peasant of the name of Iwan 
Timofejewitsch, who had a much beloved son, called Ilija, 
the Muromian. This son had always to be seated, for he 
could not use his feet for thirty years ; but then he suddenly 
became well, began to walk, and felt himself endowed with 
the strength of a giant. He then made himself armor and a 
lance of steel, saddled his war-horse and asked his parents 
for their blessing : “ My noble father and my dear mother, 
permit me to leave you, that I may visit the renowned city 
of Kiew, there to pray to God, and to pay my respects to 
the prince of Kiew.” 

His father and his mother gave him their blessing, bound 
him by a heavy oath, and said : “ Go straightway to the 


206 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


town of Kiew, through the town of Tschernighof which is 
on the way, and beware of doing wrong upon the road, and 
never shed Christian blood in vain.” 

Ilija, the Muromian, received the blessing of his parents 
and prayed to God. Then he took leave of them, com- 
menced his journey, and penetrated far, far into a dark 
forest, until he came to a robber’s camp. As soon as the 
robbers saw Ilija, the Muromian, their hearts were filled with 
a burning desire for his warlike horse, and they said to each 
other : “ Let us take this horse, for it is prettier than any we 
have seen ; why should a strange man, like this, sit upon so 
fine a horse ?” And thus five and twenty of them concluded 
to attack and rob Ilija, the Muromian. 

Ilija, the Muromian, reined in his horse, and taking from 
his quiver a dry arrow, put it upon the bow, and sent it 
thence with such force into the ground, that it tore up the 
earth three yards in width. On perceiving this, the robbers 
were filled with terror, and forming a circle, fell upon their 
knees, and said : “ Great master and father, most valiant and 
good youth, we acknowledge ourselves guilty before you ; 
forgive us and take as many treasures as you please, and as 
many variegated dresses and herds of horses as you like.” 


ILIJA, THE MUROMIAN. 


20V 


Ilija smiled and said : “ What am I to do with your 
treasures ? but if you wish to preserve your lives, make no 
more attempts like this in future.” 

And he pursued his way towards the celebrated town of 
Kiew, and arrived in the neighborhood of the town of 
Tschernighof, and this town of Tschernighof was besieged 
by an army of heathens, so numerous, that it was impossible 
to count them ; and they intended to destroy the town, to 
blow up the churches, and to carry the Prince and Wojewode 
of Tschernighof himself into slavery. 

At this sight, Ilija, the Muromian, became frightened, but 
placing his trust in the assistance of the Almighty, he 
resolved to sacrifice his life for the Christian religion. And 
he began to beat the infidels with his javelin, dispersed the 
whole army, captured the Prince of the heathens, and took 
him into the town of Tschernighof, where he was met by 
the citizens, headed by the Prince and Wojewode of 
Tschernighof himself. They expressed their gratitude, and 
together with him, returned thanks to God, for delivering 
the town and not permitting its destruction by such an 
army of infidels. 

They took Ilija, the Muromian, to the palace, prepared a 


208 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


great banquet, and, after feasting him, permitted him to 
continue his journey. 

They conducted Ilija, the Muromian, to the most direct 
road, which led to Kiew, and which for thirty years had 
been invested by the robber Nightingale, who killed every 
passer by, horseman and pedestrian, not by means of arms, 
but by his horrible whistling. ( 

Ilija, the Muromian, reached the open fields and rode 
towards the Brianksian forest, which he saw at a distance, 
across marshes and bridges of guelder rosewood, to the river 
Sinarodienka. The robber Nightingale, however, had 

secret misgivings of his approaching doom, and when Ilija, 

* 

the Muromian, was yet twenty wersts distant, he began to 
whistle so loud and horrible that it resounded far and near. 

But the heroic youth was not to be frightened thus. 

\ 

When he was at the distance of ten wersts, the robber 
whistled so loud, that the horse under Ilija, the Muromian, 
fell upon its knees. 

At last Ilija, the Muromian, reached the robber’s nest, 
which was built upon twelve oaks ; and when Nightingale 
perceived the Uussian hero, he whistled with all his might, 
and attempted thus to kill him. But Ilija, the Muromian. 


ILIJA, THE MUROMIAN. 


209 


took his bow, put a dry arrow upon it, and shot right into 
the robber’s nest and hit Nightingale in the right eye. The 
robber fell down from his nest like a sheaf of oats. 

Ilija, the Muromian, raised the robber from the ground, 
bound him to his stirrups, and rode towards the celebrated 
town of Kiew. 

On his way he came to the palace of the robber Night- 
ingale, and as he passed it, the daughters of the robber were 
looking out of the open windows. Suddenly the younger 
one cried : “ Oh, see, there comes our father and brings a 
peasant, bound to his stirrup.” 

But the elder sister looked somewhat closer and began 
to weep bitterly. “ This is not our father. Do not permit 
such disgrace to fall upon our family.” 

The husbands of these daughters were valiant knights 
and had good lances and horses, and they rode out to meet 
the Russian knight, and intended to slay him. 

The robber Nightingale saw them, and said : “ My dear 
sons, do not disgrace yourselves, nor offend this brave knight, 
if you do not wish to be killed. Rather invite him to honor 
your house with his presence and to drink a glass of brandy 
with you.” 


210 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


They asked Ilija to enter the palace, and the latter 
consented, without suspecting any treachery ; but the elder 
daughter had by a chain drawn up a beam over the door, in 
order to slay him, as he passed through the gate. Ilija, 
however, fortunately observed her, and struck her with his 
lance, till she was dead. 

He then rode to Kiew, and went direct to the palace, 
where he prayed to God, and paid his respects to the 
Prince. 

The Prince of Kiew asked him : Tell me, good youth, 
what is your name and whence do, you come V * 

“ I am called Iljuschka , my gracious lord, and after my 
father Iwanov ; my birth-place is the village Karatscharowa , 
belonging to the town of Murom .” 

The Prince then asked him, what road he had taken. 

“ From Murom I went to Tschernighof, put an innumera- 
ble army of heathens to flight, and delivered the town; 
thence I continued my journey and captured, by the way, 
that mighty warrior, the robber Nightingale, whom I have 
brought with me, bound to my stirrups.” 

Then the Prince became enraged, and said : “ Why do 
you wish to deceive me?” 


ILIJA, THE MUROMIAN. 


211 


On hearing this, two brave knights of his court, Alescha 
Papowitsch and Dobrinja Nikititsch, left the room, to 
satisfy themselves that Ilija had spoken the truth ; and they 
returned and confirmed what he had stated. 

Upon this the Prince commanded them to give the good 
youth a glass of brandy, expressing at the same time a wish 
to hear the robber whistle. 

Ilija, the Muromian, now took the Prince and Princess 
under his arms, covering them with his sable robe, and 
commanded the robber Nightingale to whistle softly ; but 
he whistled very loud, and stunned all the knights, that they 
fell to the ground. 

At this Ilija, the Muromian, became so enraged, that he 
killed him upon the spot. 

He then fraternized with Dobrinja Nikititsch, and very 
soon they were as intimate as brothers in reality. One day 
they saddled their good horses, rode away, and travelled for 
three months, without meeting with any adventures. 

At last they found a cripple, who was begging. His 
cloak weighed fifty puds,* and his hat nine puds, and his 
crutch was a fathom long. And Ilija, the Muromian, was 
* A Russian weight of forty pounds. 


212 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


about to attack him, in order to try his strength, when the 
cripple suddenly cried : *• Oh, Ilija, of Murom, have you 
forgotten how we were at school together, and learned to 
read ; and now you wish to attack a poor cripple as if he 
were an enemy ? And do you not know, that there is great 
misery in the celebrated town of Kiew ? An infidel knight, 
a wicked heathen, has arrived there ; his head is as big as 
a beer cauldron, his eyebrows are a span distant from each 
other, and he measures a fathom from shoulder to shoulder. 
He eats an entire ox at one meal, and drinks a whole 
cauldron of beer to it. The Prince is exceedingly grieved 
at your absence. 

And Ilija, the Muromian, put on the clothes of the cripple, 
hastened to Kiew, went, direct to the palace and cried as 
loud as he could. “ Hallo, Prince of Kiew, send some alms 
to the cripple !” 

As soon as the Prince saw him, he said : “ Come in, I will 
give you to eat and to drink, and present you with money 
for your journey.” 

And the cripple entered the room and sat down by the 
stove. The idolater also sat there and demanded something 


ILIJA, THE MUROMIAN. 


213 


to eat. They brought him an entire roasted ox, and he eat 
it up, and did not even leave a single bone. 

He then asked for something to drink, and twenty-seven 
men brought him a cauldron of beer. He took it by the 
handle and emptied it at a draught. 

Upon this Uija, the Muromian, said : “ My father once 
owned a greedy mare, which ate so much, that she died.” 

On hearing this, the idolater became enraged, and said : 
“ Why do you wish to provoke me, you miserable cripple ? 
You a^e a nigmy to me. I can put you upon my flat hand, 
and press with the other, and there will be nothing left of 
you but a little moisture. You have had a great hero, Tlija, 
the Muromian; I should like to fight with him.” 

“ Here he is,” said the cripple, and he struck the other with 
his hat, not too hard, but enough to send the idolater’s head 
through the wall. Ilija then took the trunk and threw it 
down into the yard. At this the Prince was delighted, 
gave him many rich presents, and kept him at his court as 
the first, most honored, and most valiant knight. 
























* 









































• ' 











•i 















I 




































* 
























T1H1 IE TI^ANilF©I^[MATD©IN!i 0 

A LEGEND OF ANCIENT GREECE. 

Once upon a time, — thus Lucios tells his own story — I 
traveled from Patras to Thessaly, where I had some busi- 
ness to transact with a native of that country. A good 
horse bore me, and my baggage and a servant followed me. 
After I had travelled for some time upon the highway, I met 
several persons who were going to Hypate, and who told 
me, that they resided there. I joined these people, and we 
lived together during our journey, which we brought to a 
happy termination. As we approached the town, I asked 
the Thessalians whether they knew a man called Hippar- 
chos, who lived at Hypate, and told them, that I had letters 
to deliver to him, and that I intended to stay at his house. 

“We know him,” they replied, as they named to me the 

part of the town where he lived ; “ he is a very rich, but 

10 


218 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


most stingy man, and his wife and maid servant compose 
the entire household.” Beneath the walls of the city, I 
soon found a garden and a neat little house, and learned that 
this was the residence of Hipparchos. My fellow travellers 
bade me farewell, and pursued their journey, whilst I 
walked towards the house of my host. Here I knocked, 
and after I had had a great deal of trouble to make myself 
heard within, a woman opened the door, as I asked her 
whether Hipparchos was at home. 

“Yes,” she replied, “ but who are you, and what would 
you with him ?” 

“I bring a letter for him, from the Sophist Decrianos, of 
Patara,” I replied. 

“ Then wait here,” she said, and closing the door, let me 
wait without. But a moment after, she returned and beg- 
ged me to enter. I obeyed, greeted Hipparchos, and 
delivered to him the letter with which I had been charged. 
He was preparing to take his evening repast, and lay upon 
a small and narrow couch ; his wife was seated by his side, 
and before them stood a little table, but there was not yet 
any food upon it. He had scarcely read the letter, when he 
said : 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


219 


“ Decrianos is my intimate friend, and is among all Greeks, 
the man whom I esteem most ; I am very grateful to him, 
for the confidence he shows in thus sending his friends to 
me. This house is small, Lucios,” he continued, “ hut your 
presence makes it appear greater, and if you will exercise a 
little indulgence, I hope that you will live here with some 
comfort.” 

He then called his little serving maid, who was called 
Palaestra, and said to her : 

“Conduct the stranger into a chamber and carry his 
luggage after him, and then bring him to a bath, for he is 
weary from his journey.” 

Palaestra conducted me at once into a small and comfort- 
able apartment. 

“ Here,” she said, “ is the couch on which you may rest, 
and I will put another by its side for your servant, and put a 
pillow upon it.” 

I then went to the bath, but first gave Palaestra some 
money, wherewith to buy a measure of barley for my horse ; 
and she carried my luggage into my room. After bathing, 
I returned to the chamber which Hipparchos occupied, who 
immediately requested me to be seated by his side. The 


220 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


evening meal was excellent, and the wine old and of fine 
flavor. After supper we drank and talked a long time, even 
as it is customary between travellers and their hosts. At 
last, after having thus passed a pleasant evening, we went 
to bed. 

On the following morning Hipparchos asked me what 
were my intentions, and whether it was my plan to take up 
my residence in his town. 

“ I shall go to Larissa,” I replied, “ and do not think that 
I can remain here longer than three or five days.” 

This reply was a deception, for I intended to remain in 
Hypate, until I should find one of those women versed in 
magic arts, who could show me some extraordinary things, 
such as a man changed into a bird or a statue. Full of the 
desire to behold such a spectacle, I walked one day through 
the streets of the city, scarcely knowing whom I should 
address, when a woman, apparently young, approached me. 
To judge by her appearance, she seemed to be of rank. 
She wore embroidered dresses, much jewelry, and several 
slaves followed her steps. When I arrived near enough, 
she addressed me — I replied — and thus began a conversation 
between us* 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


221 


“ My name is Abroia,” she said, “ and I am one of the 
dearest friends of your mother, and therefore love you, as if 
you were my own son ; why did you not come and lodge 
at my house.” 

“ I thank you a thousand times for your kind offer,” I 
replied; “but I cannot leave the house of the friend who 
has received me with hospitality, and against whom I know 
ho evil ; but my heart will remain there, where you are.” 

“ And at whose house do you tarry ?” she now inquired. 

“ At the house of Hipparchos ?” 

“ How ? at the rich miser’s ?” 

“ Ho not give him so bad a name, most beautiful of 
women,” I said, “ for he has received me so kindly, and 
treated me with such liberality, that I would rather believe 
him a spendthrift than a miser.” 

Then she laughed, took my hand, and leading me to one 
side, said to me : 

“ Beware of the wife of Hipparchos, for she is a fearful 
witch, who quickly avenges herself, by means of her evil 
arts, on every one who disobeys her. She has already 
changed many into beasts, and has killed others. With a 
stranger this is easily done.” 


222 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


From these speeches I learned that the object of my 

% 

search was in the very house I lodged, and consequently 
within my reach; therefore I paid no further attention 
to the remainder of the woman’s discourse. I left Abroia, 
and, on walking home, indulged in the following soliloquy : 

“ Courage, Lucios, here is an opportunity of enjoying the 
spectacle for which thou art so anxious ; awake now, and 
seek the means to learn this wonderful art, which will reveal 
all thou seekest to know. Beware of the wife, but seek to 
learn it through Palaestra ; you can easily bribe her, and 
learn from her all that is necessary, for servants usually 
know the good, as well as the evil qualities of their 
masters.” 

By the aid of money and kindness, I soon succeeded in 
gaining the favor of the servant, and said to her one day : 

“My dear Palaestra, do let me some time see your 
mistress at her incantations, or other magical work. I have 
long endeavored to behold something of that kind. Or 
perhaps you have some experience in those arts yourself ; 
if ^g, pray show me some of your performances.” 

“ What an idea,” she replied ; “ why I cannot even read. 
True, my mistress has the reputation of being a great 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


223 


magician, and whenever I find an opportunity, you shall 
observe some of her transformations?” 

A few days afterwards, she informed me that her mistress 
would change herself into a bird, and she conducted me to 
a crack in the wall, through which I could see everything 
that happened in the chamber of Hipparchos’ wife. She 
undressed herself, threw two grains of incense into the 
lamp, and standing before it, murmured a few sentences ; 
she then opened a box which contained several vessels, and 
took out one of these. I know not what were the contents, 
but it seemed to be oil with which she anointed her whole 
body. Soon wings grew from her shoulders, her nose 
became crooked and hard like the beak of a bird, and in a 
short time she was changed into an owl. Soon as she was 
covered with feathers, she began to screech just like an 
owl, and flapping her wings, flew out of the window. 

At first I believed that all I had seen had been a dream, and 
rubbed my eyes to convince myself that I was really awake. 
I now begged Palaestra to give me also wings, to rub me 
with the wonderful oil, and to let me fly. I wanted to see 
whether the transformation into a bird was only bodily, or 
whether it extended even to the mind. Quickly Palaestra 


224 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


opened the room, took one of the small vessels, and 1 
immediately anointed my body all over. Alas, it was not a 
bird into which I found myself changed. I observed a 
long tail growing out of my body ; my nails disappeared, 
all but four, and these four became hoofs, like those of a 
beast of burden ; my ears grew long, my face changed ; in 
short, as I looked upon myself, I found that I had become 
an ass. I wanted to reproach Palaestra, but found that I 
no longer had a voice. I elongated my lower lip, and 
looking upwards, as donkeys sometimes do, and expressed, as 
best I could, my indignation at being changed into this 
despised quadruped, instead of a bird. 

Palaestra wrung her hands and exclaimed : “ Oh, ye gods, 
what a stupid thing have I done; my great hurry and 
anxiety have been the cause of my taking the wrong vessel. 
But console yourself, as the evil can easily be remedied ; for 
as soon as you shall eat roses, the ass disappears, and the 
human form returns. Only to-night, you will have to 
remain in this skin. At daybreak, to-morrow, I will pluck 
some roses for you, which you may eat and become a man 
again.” 

And now I really had the perfect form of a donkey ; bu« 





The Transformation 


p. *24. 




























































• 

. • 







4 







THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


225 


as far as the mind was concerned, I was still the same 
Lucios, except in regard to speaking. I could think, but 
could not express my thoughts. Whilst I inwardly reproach- 
ed Palaestra for her carelessness, I went to the stable, where 
was my horse and a real ass, the property of Hipparchos. 
When these two perceived me, they feared that I wanted 
to take part of their hay, and laying back their ears, 
they began to defend their food by kicking me. Carefully 
withdrawing to a corner of the stable, I had a hearty laugh, 
but my laugh was nothing but the braying of an ass. 1 
then grew thoughtful and said to myself: 

“ Thus am I punished for my untimely curiosity. What 
am I to do, if a wolf or another wild beast enters here ? I 
am in danger of being torn to pieces, without having done 
any harm.” Such were my meditations, for I mentally 
anticipated the misery that awaited me. 

The night was pretty well advanced, the deepest silence 
reigned, and sleep exercised its magic power, when I heard 
sortie strokes against the outer walls, as if men were at work 
breaking through it. And such was really the case. A hole 
had already been made, and suddenly a man entered 
through it, and a number of others followed immediately 
10 * 


226 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


after him. All had swords in their hands, entered the 
rooms, fettered Hipparchos, Palaestra and my servant, 
plundered the house, carried the money, furniture and vessels 
with them, and left nothing behind. Then they took me, 
the other ass and my horse, and loaded all the goods upon 
us. Although we almost broke down beneath the weight, 
still they beat us with clubs, and drove us over impassible 
roads towards the mountains, where they sought refuge. I 
cannot possibly say what the other beasts may have suffered, 
but I, who was not used to walk barefooted, was almost 
killed by the sharp rocks upon the road, and beneath the 
load which I had to carry. I stumbled every moment, but 
was not allowed to lie down, for one of the thieves was 
continually beating my shins with his club. Several times 
I wanted to exclaim, “ Oh, Caesar,” but I only brayed and 
could not pronounce the words. And then they beat me 
more severely, since my braying might betray them. At last, 
as I observed that I uttered entirely different sounds from 
T intended, I concluded not to say another word, but 
. trot on, and at least avoid the additional beating. 

Day began to dawn, and we had already crossed several 
mountains. They had muzzled us, so that we should not 


227 


r 

THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 

detain them, by grazing on the road. I found myself, 
therefore, compelled to be patient, and to remain an ass. 
When it was day we stopped at a small farmhouse, where 
resided some friends of the thieves ; at least they appeared 
such, from their manner of greeting them. They invited the 
thieves to remain and rest themselves, and gave them their 
morning meal; to me and my companions they brought 
barley. My companions ate this with a great deal of 
appetite, but I was near dying of hunger at such a meal, for 
I had never yet eaten raw barley. I looked round every- 
where for something to satisfy my hunger, and at last 
discovered a garden at the end of the yard, and plenty of fine 
vegetables and fruits growing there. I even saw roses at 
the other end of the garden. Availing myself of the 
moment when my masters were busy at their own meal r I 
hurried to the garden to eat some of the raw vegetables, as 
also to get some of the roses. I was convinced that I would 
regain my former form, the instant I should have eaten 
some of those flowers. 

I consequently proceeded to the garden, and filled my 
stomach with salad, turnips and other vegetables, such as 
men can eat, without their being cooked ; the roses 


228 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


however, were not real roses, but the flowers of the wild 
laurel, sometimes called rose-laurel. For an ass or a horse, 
this would have been a poor meal, but to me it was 
delightful. 

Meanwhile the gardener perceived me, took a stout stick, 
and came to the garden. Like an outraged proprietor, who 
has caught a thief, this cru,el gardener showered blows upon 
me. Not satisfied with -beating my ribs and my legs, he 
even beat my ears and my face. Enraged at this, I gave 
him a kick, which sent him backwards in among his cabbage 
beds, and then I fled towards the neighboring mountains. 

When the gardener saw that I was about to make my 
escape, he cried aloud, for the dogs to be set upon me. 
There was a great number of the latter, and they were strong 
and trained for bear fighting. If they caught me, I knew 
well that they would tear me to pieces ; I therefore thought 
best to turn back of my own accord, and face the enemy. 
Those who had let the dogs loose, on seeing me return, 
secured them again to their chains, but they did not stop 
beating me, even after I had fallen to the ground with pain 
and exhaustion. 

' When it was time to resume our journey, I was ladcu 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


229 


with a great part of the heaviest burdens. But I could go 
no further ; I would have died, beneath the weight and the 
blows. I therefore determined to throw myself upon the 
ground, and not to rise again, though they should beat me 
to death. I now flattered myself, with the hope that this 
plan would be very beneficial in its consequences, for I 
believed, that they would yield to my obstinacy, and divide 
my burthen between the horse and the other ass, and leave 
me for the rapacity of the wolves. But a jealous demon 
soon discovered my plans, and spoiled them entirely. The 
other donkey, who had probably taken a similar resolution, 
fell right upon the road ; at first the thieves attempted to 
force him up, by beating him severely with their clubs. 
Then they took hold of his ears and his tail, but they could 
not bring him upon his legs. When they saw that they 
could not succeed, they concluded to lose no more time and 
trouble over a dead ass, but divided his burthen between the 
horse and me. Then they took the unfortunate companion 
of my misery, cut the arteries and muscles of his legs, and 
then, whilst he was still alive, they cast him over a precipice, 
where he was hashed to pieces on the rocks below. 

When I saw in the fate of my comrade, what would have 


230 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


been the result of my plan, I concluded to bear my misery 
as best I could, and to travel patiently along, in hopes soon 
to be able to find roses, and to obtain my former shape 
again ; moreover, I heard the robbers say, that they would 
reach their home before night, which somewhat encouraged 
me. I hastened my steps, and as they had predicted, we 
reached the place before evening. An old woman who was 
seated before a good fire, was awaiting their return. They 
stowed away all their plunder in the interior of the house, 
and then asked the old woman, what she had prepared for 
their supper. 

“ Everything is ready,” she replied. “ I have provided 
bread, game and old wine.” They now praised her 
attention, and retired to other apartments to take a bath. 

Soon after this, some youths came in and brought vessels, 
mostly of gold and silver, clothing and many trinkets, mostly 
of great value. This was another part of the band, and 
these also stowed away their spoils, and took a bath as the 
others had done. Soon a very excellent meal was served 
up, and now the conversation of these villains became very 
noisy. Meanwhile the old woman brought a measure of 
barley to the horse and myself ; the horse fearing that 1 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


231 


wanted , to share the food with him, ate very fast ; but as 
soon as the old woman was out of sight, I stole one of the 
loaves of bread that were in the room. 

Three days after this, the robbers again left the house to 
go upon an expedition, and left only the old woman and a 
young man behind. The carefulness with which I was 
guarded, had almost driven me to despair. I could easily 
have managed the old woman, and could have escaped, but 
the young man was strong, watched me closely, had always 
a sword in his hand, and locked the door whenever he left 
me. In less than three days, the robbers returned about 

4 

midnight. They brought neither gold nor silver, but a 
maiden of surpassing beauty. She wept, tore her clothes, 
and pulled her hair out by the roots. The villains gave her 
a cushion to sit down upon, requested her to be quiet, and 
ordered the old woman to keep a watch upon her. 

The maiden would take no food, but wept bitterly, and 
continued to tear her hair, so that I felt deep pity for her, 
and wept with her. Meanwhile the robbers were feasting 
in another room. 

On the following morning, one of their spies reported that 
a stranger, who had a great deal of money with him, must 


232 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


pass the neighboring highway. They quickly arose, took 
their arms, and put pack-saddles upon the horse and me, and 
took us with them. When I observed that they were 
taking us to battle with the travellers, I was frightened, and 
walked very slowly ; but the thieves, who were anxious to 
proceed, beat me with clubs. When we finally had 
reached the road which the stranger had to pass, the robbers 
attacked his wagon, killed him and all his servants, took all 
the valuables, and loaded them upon mine and the horse’s 
backs, and then, hiding the rest of the spoils in the forest, 
they returned home. Driven by their clubs, I accidentally 
struck my foot upon a sharp stone, and wounded it most 
severely. I now had to walk lame. When the thieves 
saw this, they said to each other : 

“ Why should we feed such a wretched ass, who cannot 
walk a step without falling. We will throw that bird of ill 
omen down the abyss.” 

“ Yes,” remarked another, “ let us sacrifice him to the 
gods that protect our band.” 

They now made preparations to despatch me from this 
world, but when I had learned their resolution, I walked the 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


233 


rest of the way as upon a strange wound, for the fear of 
death had made me insensible to the pain. 

Arrived at home, the robbers took the load from our 
backs, laid it upon the ground, and seated themselves at 
their meal. In the evening they left the house again, to go 
after the remainder of their plunder. 

“ And our poor donkey,” said one of them, “ why should 
we take him along. He is lame of a leg, and the horse can 
carry most of what we have hidden, and the rest we will 
carry ourselves.” And they left, and took the horse with 
them. 

The moon shone brightly that night, and I said to myself : 
“ Wretch that I am, why should I stay here any longer. 
The vultures and other birds of prey will soon feast upon 
my body. Did I not hear the cruel resolves of my tyrants ? 
Shall I wait until they throw me over the precipice ? No : 
the night is advanced, the moon shines bright, the robbers 
are absent, now let me fly and escape from my murderers.” 

While I was thus meditating, I observed that I was not 
hitched, but that my halter hung against the wall. My 
resolution was now taken ; I ran from the stable, when the 
old woman observed my intentions, and caught hold of my 


234 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


tail. I would have deserved to be thrown down the abyss, 
if I had suffered myself to be caught by an old woman ; so 
I pulled her along with me. She cried aloud, and called 
upon the maiden to assist her. When the fair prisoner 
observed this new Dirce hanging by the tail of an ass, she 
took a resolve worthy of the most heroic of the other sex. 
She jumped upon my back, seated herself well and hurried 
me forward. Excited as much by my own wish for safety, 
as by the heroism of my fair burden, I hastened away with 
the speed of a horse. Soon the old woman was left far 
behind. My fair rider prayed to the gods to favor our 
escape, and said to me : 

“ Oh, my dear friend, if you bring me back to my father, 
I will restore you to liberty ; you shall have no work to do, 
and I will give you daily a Medimne of barley for your 
dinner.” Flying, as I was, from my murderers, and hoping 
that the fair maiden would be grateful to me for having 
saved her life, I run without minding or feeling my wound. 
Thus we came to a place where there was a cross-road, and 
here we met our deadly enemies, who recognized their 
beautiful prisoner by the light of the moon. They ran 
towards us, and arrested me with the words : 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


235 


“ Hoho, fair maiden, whither would you travel at such 
an unsuitable hour. Are you not afraid of meeting spectres 
at night. Come with us, and we will restore you to your 
parents.” They accompanied these coarse jests with 
sardonic laughter, and forced me to turn back. I now 
remembered my wound again, and commenced to walk 
lame, but they laughed and said : 

“ How is this ? now you are lame when you are caught ; 
but when you want to escape, you are perfectly well, and 
run like a horse.” And the application of the club followed 
these words, and the deep wound they inflicted upon my 
side served as a lesson to me. 

When we came home, we found that the old woman had 
hanged herself. No doubt the fear of the punishment she 
would receive for having suffered the maiden to escape had 
driven her to suicide. The robbers cared little for her 
death, but threw her over the precipice, even without taking 
off the rope which was still around the neck. Then they 
put chains upon the maiden, and imprisoned her in a back 
room. This done, they seated themselves at their feast. 
Soon the conversation turned upon the prisoner. 


236 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


“What are we to do,” said one of them, “with our fair 
fugitive ?” 

“What else,” was the reply, “but throw her over the 
precipice, to keep the old woman company, and to punish 
her for having wished to betray us, by disclosing our retreat. 
For, believe me, if she had returned home, not one of us 
would have saved his life. They would have attacked us, 
and certainly have taken us prisoners. Let us, therefore, 
revenge ourselves upon her ; but she must not lose her life 
too quickly ; let us invent some slow and painful death ; for 
she shall only die after suffering tortures.” 

They now consulted about the mode of death. One of 
them suddenly took the word and said : 

“ I am convinced that you will all approve of my sugges- 
tion. We must kill our ass, who from laziness feigns to be 
lame, and who is, moreover, guilty of assisting her in her 
flight. In the morning, we will kill him, cut his belly open, 
take out his intestines, and put this courageous young lady 
m their place. Let her head remain out, so that she may 
not be smothered at once ; the rest of her body we will sew 
inside of the body of the ass, and thus prepare a i.W7 kind 
of meatpie for the vultures. Consider, friends, ho'v 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


237 


is this punishment ; in the first place, to be united to the 
corpse of a donkey, scorched by the burning sun, to suffer 
the tortures 'of hunger, without being able to take her own 
life. I need not now mention all she will have to suffer 
from the stench of the dead donkey, whilst the body is 
decaying, nor speak of the worms that will come to feast 
upon her body as well as his ; and finally, the vultures after 
having eaten the ass, will take her for their dessert.” 

The villains applauded the fiendish proposition, as if it 
were a great and beautiful thought. As to myself, who can 
describe my horror ! I was soon to be murdered, without 
even having the consolation of resting in a grave, but was 
destined to become a sepulchre for that beautiful, innocent 
girl. 

On the following morning, when day had scarcely dawned, 
we suddenly discovered a band of warriors. They had been 
sent out against these robbers, whom they at once put in 
chains, and brought before the governor of the province. 
These warriors had been lead by the betrothed of the mai- 
den, who had discovered the retreat of the robbers. After 
liberating his beloved, he placed her upon my back, and 
brought her back to her family. When the country people 


238 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


saw us come at the distance they observed, by my braying, 
that we were safe, so they hastened to meet us, and to con- 
duct us in triumph to the maiden’s home. 

Here she received me very kindly ; she did not forget the 
companion of her misery, who had attempted escape 
with her, and was to have shared her death. My new 
masters gave me, for my dinner, barley enough for a camel. 
Then again I cursed Palaestra, for having changed me into 
a donkey, and not even into a dog ; for the latter ran into 
the rooms where the wedding feast took place, and ate deli- 
cate viands, to their hearts* content. 

Some days afterwards my young mistress told her father, 
how much she was under obligations to me, and that she 
would like to reward me. Her father immediately com- 
manded to set me at liberty, and to let me go to pasture with 
his favorite horses. “ Since he is free,” he said, “ let him 
enjoy his life.” The reward for my services was very 
appropriate, and an ass would not have wished for more. 
A servant was called, and I was committed to his care. I 
was rejoiced at the prospect of having no more burdens to 
carry. We came to the meadow and he turned me loose 
with the horses 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


239 


But alas ! I seemed born to misery. The herd, who had 
care of the horses, gave me to his wife Magagola, who put 
me into harness, and I was forced to turn a mill and grind 
wheat and barley. This was but a small misfortune, for as 
a grateful donkey, I was willing to work for my master, but 
the selfish woman hired my back to the use of the peasants, 
who came often to make me carry them and their burdens. 
They paid Magagola in flour, of which she made cakes 
which she eat herself, giving me only the husks of the 
grain. • If I occasionally was let out to the meadow, then 
the stallions would so bite and kick me, that I was glad to 
return to the mill again. I beecme lean, and in a short 
time lost all my personal beauty. Often I was sent to the 
top of the mountain, to bring loads of wood down. This 
was my greatest trouble, for I had to climb up the steep, 
rocky path, and the sharp stones cut my bare feet. My 
conductor was a malicious, wicked boy, who had some new 
torture for me, every time he took me out. When I ran as 
fast as I could, he would constantly beat me with a stick 
full of knotty points, and always hit the same spot, so that 
he soon made a deep wound. When he loaded me, he put 
a burden sufficient for an elephant upon my back, and 


240 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


although the descent was steep and difficult, he would beat 
me all the way down. When he observed that my load 
threatened to fall, or was leaning too much to one side, he 
would .take none of the wood off, and lay it on the other 
side, but would add stones on one side, so as to equalize the 
weight. We had to cross a creek on our road home, and to 
save his feet, he would seat himself on top of the wood, and 
compel me to carry him over. 

If I fell down exhausted beneath the load, then only my 
tortures commenced. Instead of lessening my burden and 
assisting me upon my legs again, the wicked boy remained 
on my back, took hold of my ears, and beat me until I got 
upon my legs again. He found pleasure in my tortures ; he 
cut thistles, bound them together in bunches, and tied them 
to my tail, so that they must prick me at every step. 1 
could not free myself from these ; if I walked slow, to avoid 
them, he would beat me the more ; if I hurried, to avoid his 
blows, the thorns tortured me. In short, the young villain 
did all he could to murder me. 

Enraged at his ill treatment, I one day gave him a kick ; 
but he never after forgot or forgave me that kick. A short 
time afterwards, he was ordered to bring some bundles of 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


241 


hemp from one village to the other ; he took me, and loaded 
me with as much hemp as he could pile upon me. He had 
a villainous plan upon his mind. When he left the house, 
he stole a live coal from the fireplace, and as soon as we 
were upon the road, he stuck that into the hemp. This at 
once ignited, and soon, instead of hemp, I carried a load of 
fire upon my back. I would have been roasted alive, i 2 I 
had not thrown myself into a pool, which I saw by the 
roadside. I threw myself into the deepest part of it, and 
after rolling about for some time, I succeeded in extinguish- 
ing the fire. The hemp had become so wet, that I could 
complete the journey without further danger, for the little 
villain did not again succeed in igniting it. Arrived at 
home, he had the impudence of accusing me of having gone 
too near the fire, and having ignited the hemp. 

On another occasion he concocted a still more cruel 
scheme for my destruction. He lead me to the mountain, 
loaded me with wood, and then sold the wood to a peasant 
in the neighborhood : he then led me back to the master 
without the wood, and said : 

“ I don’t see, sir, why we should feed that donkey ; he is 
the fattest and laziest beast in the world, and has the quality 
11 


242 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS 


of being spiteful and wicked towards all whom he don’t 
know. As soon as he sees a stranger upon the road, 
especially women and children, I can restrain him no longer, 
but he runs towards them, throws them down, and kicks 
and bites them. That is what he just now did to a poor 
woman, who would have been killed by him, if I had not 
come to her assistance, by which I lost my entire load of 
wood.” 

When the master heard this, he said : “If he is so lazy, 
and will bear no burdens, and will kill persons, why, destroy 
him, give his intestines to the dogs, and keep his meat, for 
the meals of our laborers ; if you are asked how he died, you 
can say, that a wolf had torn him to pieces.” 

The little wretch was already preparing to kill me, when a 
neighboring peasant, who had heard this conversation, saved 
my life. “ He can still go in the mill, and carry burdens,” he 
said, “ but stab his eyes, so that he can see no more, and 
can do no further harm.” All agreed to this proposal, but I 
determined to throw myself over a precipice sooner than 
submit to it. 

About midnight somebody from the neighboring village 
came to our place and informed us, that the bride, who had 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


243 


been the robbers’ prisoner, and her young husband, whilst 
prpmenading by the sea shore after dinner, had been 
overtaken by the flood, and both had been drowned. When 
the servants heard that their masters were dead, they 
determined to free themselves from slavery. They plunder- 
ed the houses and fled. The herd who took care of the 
horses, took me and the horses, and loaded us with 
everything he could lay hands to. As much as I groaned 
beneath the heavy burden, yet I was glad to have escaped 
blinding. We travelled all night upon vety bad roads, and 
at the end of three days we arrived at Beroe, a populous 
town in Macedonia. My leaders now thought proper to 
take a little rest here. A few days after, they offered us for 
sale, and the town crier proclaimed this fact with stentorian 
voice upon the forum. People approached us, examined us, 
and opened our mouths, to ascertain our age from the size of 
our teeth. 

My companions were very soon disposed of, but when the 
salesman found that I alone remained, he ordered me to be 
sent home again. 

“You see,” he said, “this donkey alone has found no 
master.” 


244 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


But the cruel Nemesis, who had already played me so 
many pranks, now gave me a master, who was the last one 
I should have wished. He was one of those shameless old 
men who carry the goddess of Syria from village to village, 
and force the mother of the gods to beg. I was sold to him 
for the enormous sum of thirty Drachmas. My new master 
led me away, and with a sigh I followed. When we 
arrived before the residence of PJnlebos (that was my new 
master’s name,) he exclaimed : “ Here, my children, is a 
slave, which I have bought for you, a well-grown, strong 
fellow, a Cappadocian!” His children were only a few 
vagabonds who travelled with him. At first they believed, 
that he really had bought a slave, and seemed much 
delighted ; but when they found that it was only an ass, 
they mocked and reviled Philebos. 

“ Where did you find your beautiful son ? he is too good 
for a slave ; he is your worthy offspring.” And thus they 
reviled him. 

On the following morning, they prepared for what they 
called their work ; and after having adorned the goddess, 
they placed her upon my back. And now we started for 
ihe journey. As often as we came to a village, we halted 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


245 


with the goddess : then a troupe of flute pxayers com- 
menced to play, until they were out of breath ; the priests 
threw their caps upon the ground, twisted their heads 
round, and made, with their swords, deep cuts upon their 
arms and the tongue. They thrust their tongues through 
their teeth, so that in a moment they were covered with 
blood. At the sight of this spectacle, I began to fear that 
the goddess might take a fancy to asses’ blood. After they 
had cut themselves and bled enough, they commenced their 
collection, and the spectators gave them Oboles and 
Drachmas. One brought figs and cheese, another a little 
keg of wine, or a medimne of wheat, or even some barley 
for the ass. All these things served for their support, and 
for the glorification of the goddess. 

One day, when they had stopped in a village, they 
induced a young peasant to gamble, and then cheated him 
most shamefully ; other peasants came, and grew so enraged, 
that they drove the whole troupe away. The goddess was 
again put upon my back, and in the evening, we arrived at 
the house of a rich man, who received us with great 
veneration, and even offered a sacrifice. I shall never forget 
the danger which I then underwent. A friend of the 




246 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


master of this house, had presented him with a roasting 
piece of a wild ass. The cook had lost this, through 
carelessness, for the dogs had stolen it from the kitchen. 
Fearing severe punishment, the cook had determined to 
hang himself. His wife, who was bent on my destruction, 
said to him : 

“ Do not give way to despair, but follow my advice, and 
all will be well. Take the ass belonging to the priests, lead 
him to a solitary place, and kill him. Then cut from him a 
piece similar to the lost one, and cook that for our master. 
The rest of the ass you can throw into the river. The 
priests will think that their donkey has run off. You see 
how fat he is ; and if you prepare him well, he will taste 
even better than the wild ass.” 

The cook admired the wisdom of his wife, and replied : 

“You are right, and it is the only way to escape 
punishment; I shall do it at once.” 

Already he approached me, when I, having discovered 
their intentions, determined to save my life, by some quick 
and daring deed. I tore the strap which bound me, rushed 
to the house, and into the room where the priests were 
supping with the master of the house. In my hurry, I upset 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


247 


the table, and the lamp upon it. I imagined that I had 
found a way to save my life ; for I thought, that the master, 
on seeing such a courageous ass, would at once order me to 
be locked up, and carefully guarded ; but my impetuosity 
put me in great jeopardy. They thought that I was mad, 
and armed themselves with swords, spears and clubs, to kill 
me. When I observed this, I rushed to the room intended 
for my master’s sleeping apartment, and they quickly locked 
the door upon me. At daylight, the next morning, they 
again placed the goddess upon my back, and I resumed my 
journey with the charlatans. 

Soon we reached a handsome and populous little town. 
My masters, with their tricks, gained the veneration of the 
inhabitants, and they persuaded them not to suffer the 
goddess to pass the night in an ordinary house, but to let 
her lodge in the temple of the principal goddess of the 
country. The people received the strange goddess with 
joy, and conducted her to the temple. After a long stay in 
this place, my masters concluded to visit the next town. 
They demanded back their goddess, and went to the temple 
to take her, placed her upon my back, and left the town. 
On their visit to the temple, they stole a golden vessel, 


248 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


which they hid beneath the goddess. The inhabitants soon 
discovered the theft, pursued us, and brought us back 
as prisoners. 

They exposed us in the public highway, called my 
masters blasphemers and temple-robbers, and demanded the 
vessel back. On close examination, that was found ; the 
criminals were chained, and thrown into prison ; the 
goddess, whom I had to carry, was placed in another 
temple, and the vessel was restored to the deity to whom it 
belonged. 

On the following day, it was concluded to sell me, and 
everything else that belonged to my masters. A baker, 
from a neighboring village, purchased me. My new tyrant 
loaded me with ten medimnas of wheat, which he had 
bought, and drove me before him, over a very rough road. 
Arrived at home, he conducted me to a mill, where I saw 
many asses and horses, sad companions of my slavery, all 
covered with flour, dust — and occupied at turning millstones. 
At first, I was permitted to rest, as I was a new slave, and 
had carried a heavy burden all the way. On the following 
morning, however, a cloth was tied over my eyes, and I was 
hitched to the pole of the millstone. I knew very well 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


249 


how to grind, as I had learned it more than once, but 
preferred to appear ignorant of it. My hopes misled me, 
however ; for a number of serving-men, armed with clubs, 
were standing at my side, and it rained blows down upon 
me — a fact which I could not foresee, since I was blind- 
folded. Soon I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, and 
thus learned a lesson, namely, that a slave must do his duty, 
and not wait for the hand of his master to urge him on. 

In a short time I lost my fat and my strength, and my 
master determined to get rid of me; he sold me to a 
gardener, who cultivated a hired garden. My whole labor 
now consisted in carrying daily a load of vegetables to mar- 
ket. When it was sold, he brought me back to the garden, 
where he dug, planted, and watered, whilst I looked on and 
had nothing to do ; and yet my new fortune seemed unbear- 
able. The coldness of winter began to be felt, but my 
master was so poor that he could not buy covering for 
himself or me ; I had to travel barefooted over the cold 
ground, which often was very hard and frosty, and hurt my 
feet very much. And then we had nothing to eat, but hard 
and bitter salad. 

One day, as we were going towards the garden, a man in 
11 # 


250 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


the dress of a warrior approached us, and asked my master, 
in the Italian language, whither he was leading the donkey. 
My master who did not understand him, made no reply. 
The other, believing himself insulted, struck the gardener 
with his whip. My master caught him, tripped him up, and 
when he was on the ground, he kicked and cuffed him well, 
The warrior defended himself as best he could, and 
threatened to run his sword through my master’s body, as 
soon as he should be again upon his legs. The gardener, in 
this mannbr, instructed by his adversary of his danger, drew 
the other’s sword, and throwing it away to a great distance, 
continued to beat the soldier. Wishing to avoid any further 
beating, the brave warrior feigned to be dead ; tremblingly 
the gardener now retreated, took up the sword, jumped 
upon my back, and rode towards the tcwn. Arrived there, 
he confided the care of his garden to a friend, as he 
feared the consequences of his quarrel, and secreted himself 
at the house of another friend in the same town. Next 
day, they consulted together, and cor eluded to hide my 
master in a clothespress, but me, they hung up by the feet 
and carried me to the top of the house. The warrior had, 
with difficulty, got upon his legs again, and gone to town 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


251 


and related to several of his companions what had happened. 
These promised to avenge their comrade, and having ascer- 
tained, that we were secreted in town, they took police 
officers with them, who came to the house and ordered 
everybody out of it. This was done, but as the gardener 
did not appear, they were vexed, being assured, that the 
gardener and his ass were both in the house. The master 
of the place assured them, that neither man nor beast 
remained inside. This dispute made a great deal of noise 
in the street, which was a narrow and small one. Desirous 
of knowing the cause of all this noise, 1 was led by curios- 
ity to poke my head out of the attic window, and to look 
down. When the people below saw me, they increased 
the tumult, and convicted the master of falsehood. The 
police entered the house again, and after a long search, 
found my master in his hiding place. They cast him into 
prison to account for his misdeeds. Then I was brought 
down and given to tl^e warriors. A loud laughter had 
broken out, when I was first discovered at the window, and 
I had thus betrayed my master ; thus I was the origin of the 
raying, that “ you may know a person by his ass.” 

I know not what became of the gardener, but the warrior 


252 


FArRY TALES A.ND LEGENDS. 


concluded to sell me the next day for fifteen attic Drachmas 
My new master, the slave of a very rich man of Thessalonia, 
was a cook ; he had a brother, also a slave, who understood 
the making of bread and honey cakes. The two brothers 
lived together, slept in the same room, and shared every- 
thing, even their working tools ; they took me to their sleep- 
ing apartment with them. After the supper of their master 
both brought the remainder of the meal ; the one carried 
meat and fishes, the other bread and cakes. They locked 
me up, leaving me to guard their provisions, and went to 
the bath. Soon I forgot the barley they had placed 
before me, and only thought of availing myself of the 
talents and profits of my new masters. I consequently 
made a first rate meal of human food, which I had wanted so 
long. When they returned, they did not observe of what 
my supper had consisted ; there were plenty of provisions, 
but I had eaten sparingly and in great fear. But when I 
afterwards considered how little they seemed to care for this 
food, I took courage, and devoured some of the largest and 
best morseK Soon they perceived that somebody was 
making free with their larder, and became distrustful of each 
other ; nay, they even accused each other of having 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


253 


stolen that which belonged to both in common, and at last 
they weighed and counted all the pieces. 

During all this time I led a happy life. My body, when 
it again received its natural food, soon again recovered its 
former beauty ; my hair grew, and my skin became smooth 
and sleek. 

When my masters perceived that I was growing so fat 
and sleek, and that, at the same time I never ate my barley, 
the thought struck them that I might be the thief. They 
consequently walked out, as if going to the bath, but 
returned and watched me through a crack in the door. Not 
suspecting this, I at once got my supper, which astonished 
them greatly, and caused them to laugh aloud. They 
called their companions to witness the scene, then the 
laughter became louder and louder ; at last, the master 
heard it, and inquired into the cause of this noise. When he 
heard it, he arose from the table and looked through the 
crack, and saw how I discussed a large piece of roast pig. 
Then he himself laughed aloud, and entered the room. It 
was very disagreeable to me to be convicted of theft and 
gluttony, by the master himself, but it seemed to amuse 
him He ordered me at once to be conducted to the room 


254 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


where he himself was just dining, and had a table set 
expressly for me. This table was covered with viands of 
which he knew that asses could not eat ; such as beef, 
oysters, poultry, fish, some broiled, and some cold, but 
dressed with oil, vinegar and mustard. When I saw that 
fate was thus smiling upon me, and that the jest might help 
me to regain my original form, I seated myself at table and 
ate heartily, though I had already made a good meal. The 
rooms resounded with the laughter of the spectators. One 
of them remarked : “ Perhaps this ass may even drink wine, 
if we give him some.” Immediately the master ordered 
wine to be brought for me, which soon found its way down 
my throat. 

The master now judged rightly, that I was an extraordi- 
nary animal, and ordered his treasurer to pay to the, slave 
who had bought me, the amount of his purchase money, and 
to pay a similar amount to his brother. Then he appointed 
a keeper for me, and instructed him to teach me everything 
that I would learn, so that I might serve to amuse him. 
This instruction was not a difficult task for my teacher, 
for I obeyed as soon as he commanded anything. 

First, I had to lay down upon a couch, and rest upon my 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS.. 


255 


elbow like a man; then wrestle, dance, stand upon my 
hind legs, nod or shake my head, according to the questions 
asked me ; in short, do everything, that I already knew, 
without instructions. All the world now spoke of my 
talents ; in short, the ass became the lion of the day ; 
conversation, everywhere, turned upon the donkey, who 
drank wine, could wrestle, dance, and, what was the most 
wonderful, give correct answers, by nods, or shakes of his 
head to every question asked. When I wished to drink a 
cup of wine, I could tell my keeper so, with a wink of the 
eyes. Everybody was astonished, and looked upon me as a 
great wonder ; but they knew not, that a man was hidden 
in the ass, and their ignorance amused me. I learned to 
march like a soldier, and to carry my master in the easiest, 
gentlest manner, possible. My harness was beautiful; I 
was covered with a purple cover, had a bit of gold, and a 
bridle adorned with gold and silver, and little, harmonious 
bells. 

As I observed above, Menecles, my master, belonged to 
Thessalonia, and had come to this place with the intention 
of procuring gladiators, as he had promised a play to his 
fellow-citizens. The champions were all ready, and the 


256 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


moment of departure was near. On the following morning, 
we started, and I carried my master over all such parts of 
the way, where the road was too bad for the carriage. 
Arrived at Thessalonia, there was as much anxiety to see 
me, as to see the gladiators. My fame had preceded me, 
and my talent in dancing and wrestling was well known. 
At table, my master showed me to the principal citizens, 
and let me eat and drink before them, and do all other 
tricks, which had so delighted him. 

My keeper gained a great deal of money through me. 
He had placed me in a room, the door of which he only 
opened to those who were willing to pay a high price for 
seeing me. Everybody brought me something to eat, and 
all selected such things as were supposed to disagree most 
with the stomach of an ass ; but I ate them all. In short, 
I grew fat and handsome, and Menecles concluded publicly 
to exhibit me to the people. They laid me upon a large and 
magnificent couch, and carried me into the middle of the 
arena. Shouts of applause and clapping of hands greeted 
my appearance. Then a table was brought, covered with 
viands, such as epicureans only consume at their feasts. By 
my side, stood the most beautiful slaves, to pour wine into 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


257 


golden cups for me; behind me stood my keeper, who 
commanded me to eat ; but I felt abashed at the publicity 
of my appearance, and feared, moreover, that a lion or a 
bear might be let loose upon me. 

At that moment a man passed by, who carried a basket 
of flowers, and I observed that he had fresh roses among 
them. Immediately and without hesitation, I left my 
couch. The people believed that I was going to dance, but 
quickly approaching the flowers, I pulled out the roses and 
ate them. To the greatest astonishment of the spectators, 
the animal form suddenly disappeared, and he, who a 
moment before was an ass, now again was Lucios, and 
stood naked and upright in the arena. The audience 
was puzzled at this sudden transformation. The theatre 
resounded with the different noises made by the spectators, 
for they were of different opinions ; one half insisted that I 
should be burned as a dangerous magician, who could at 
pleasure assume whatever shape he pleased, whilst the 
others said, that I should first be examined and judged. I 
at once ran to the Governor of the province, who happened 
to be present, and told him that a Thessalian woman, the 
slave of another Thessalian, had changed me into a» **ss, by 


258 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


anointing me with a magic salve ; I begged him to send me 
into prison, until I should prove that I spoke the truth. 

The Governor now asked my name, that of my parents 
and friends, also my rank and country. 

“ My father,” I replied, “ is called Lucios ; I have a 
brother, whose first name, like mine, is Caius ; I am the 
author of several tales, and my brother is an elegiast and an 
excellent soothsayer ; my birth-place is Patras, in Achaia.” 

Scarcely had the Governor heard these words, when he 
replied : 

“ You belong to my friends and hosts, who have frequently 
received me in their house and honored me with presents. 
You speak the truth in calling yourself their relative.” 

And soon he descended from his seat, embraced me, spoke 
with much kindness, and conducted me to his house. 
Shortly after, my brother arrived and brought me money and 
all that I needed. The governor liberated and honored me 
before the assembled multitude. Then we approached the 
shore, where we found a ship, and put all our luggage on 
board. As as soon we had favorable wind, we sailed, and in 
a^few days we reached my native town, where I did not 
omit to bring sacrifices to the gods, who liberated me, and 


THE TRANSFORMATIONS. 


259 


who had safely brought me back to my home ; and who had, 
moreover, cured me of the dangerous curiosity, by which I 
had been induced to make an ass of myself. 





































































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POM IP IP [fa®, T Ini I O GUI EIL 


A SPANISH LEGEND. 

Dom Pedro, King of Castille, and generally called the 
“ Cruel,” had not worn the crown of his glorious ancestors 
long, before his subjects discovered, that he rather merited 
the surname of the “ Just,” the “ Inexorable,” than that of 
the “ Cruel.” But Dom Pedro carried one terrible enemy 
within him : a passionate temper. Overcome by that, he 
did not spare anybody ; and woe to him, who at such a time 
dared to place himself in his way. 

One day, whilst Dom Pedro was rambling alone and 
unrecognized through the streets of Madrid, dressed in very 
plain attire, he observed the young and pretty wife of a 
citizen, who kept gold and silver ware for sale. The King 
entered the shop, and, without making himself known, 
bought several valuable chains and rings, and being pleased 


264 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


with the young and pretty woman, he jested with her and 
promised soon to call again, and make more purchases. 

One of the neighbors heard this, and when the jeweller, 
who had been absent, returned, he ran quickly to him and 
told him with assumed secresy, that a young and apparently 
distinguished stranger endeavored to gain his young wife’s 
favor. 

The jeweller, who was somewhat advanced in years, and 
of a very jealous disposition, became much enraged at what 
his neighbor told him, and called him a slanderer, who wished 
to injure an honest woman by false accusations. 

The neighbor replied : “I did not speak of your wife’s 
guilt, or innocence, but I only said that a young Don 
endeavored to gain her favor. You may convince yourself 
of the correctness of my statement if you act prudently ; 1 
know at what hour he generally walks through this street ; 
come to-morrow at noon to my house, and you can satisfy 
yourself that what I say is true.” 

The jeweller consented to take his friend’s advice, and left 
home on the following morning, saying to his wife, “ that 
he would not return until late in the evening.” He then 


DOM PEDRO, THE CRUEL. 


265 


secretly through a back door, entered his neighbor’s house, 
where he remained on the look-out. 

And about noon, Dom Pedro, in his usual disguise, passed 
through the street, and stopped before the jeweller’s shop. 
Directly, the pretty young woman was seen at the window 
smiling very sweetly, and Dom Pedro entered the house. On 
seeing this, the old jeweller was beside himself with jealousy 
and rage ; for nothing seemed to him more certain, than that 
the strange Don had a secret understanding with his wife. He 
immediately asked his neighbor to accompany him, in order 
to serve as a witness againsfc the faithless woman. This 
was just what the meddlesome neighbor desired, and 
without making any objection, he followed the jeweller to 
his shop. 

On his arrival there, the foolish old man attacked the 
King — who was unknown to him and to his neighbor- 
called him an infamous scoundrel and seducer, and, blinded 
with rage, took hold of him, in order to throw him into the 
street, at the same time begging his neighbor to assist him, 
which the latter accordingly did. 

But Dom Pedro, with the strength of a giant, hurled the 


12 


266 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS, 


jeweller, as well as the younger neighbor, from him, drew 
his sword, and in the next moment, both his opponents 
rolled, weltering in their blood, at his feet. 

The young wife of the jeweller now began to lament 
loudly and bitterly; theory of “ murder” resounded from 
street to street, and guards and other people came rushing to 
the house, in order to seize the murderer, but they started 
back in terror, as Dom Pedro proudly met them at the door. 

“The King !” they cried, and lowered respectfully their 
arms, whilst the people who had assembled, fled in fright and 
terror ; and Dom Pedro, with slow steps, and lost in gloomy 
thoughts, went his way towards the royal residence. 

On his arrival there, he bitterly repented the double mur- 
der, which he had committed, and immediately issued an 
order, in which every one was threatened with instant death, 
who should allude to this unfortunate affair. But what was 

A 

his surprise, when he received, even on the same day, from 
the High Judge of his capital, a summons to appear before 
the criminal tribunal, there to account for the double 
murder. 

The King communicated the summons he had received, to 
his courtiers and to the officers of his body-guard, who ad- 




cc? 

CO 

CM 




Don Pedro commits a double Murder 




DOM PEDRO, THE CRUEL. 


267 


vised him to punish the insolence of the High Judge with 
instant death, by hanging him upon the nearest gallows. 

To this, however, Dom Pedro did not consent, but de- 
spatched a messenger to the High Judge, to ask him whether 
he had lost his reason, that he had dared to summon his 
King and master before the criminal tribunal. 

The Judge replied: “Our noble King, Dom Pedro, of 
Castille, has appointed me, to see that justice be done in his 
capital of Madrid, and that criminals and murderers be 
punished according to their offences. No one, whoever he 
may be, can evade the laws, and least of all the King. Dom 
Pedro has been accused of a double murder, and the law is 
his accuser. By that law he is bound to appear, to hear the 
accusation, to defend himself, and to have judgment passed 
upon him. As far as I am concerned, the king may rest 
assured, that I am his most faithful subject. If he chooses 
to deprive me of my office, and with it of the power and 
duty to administer justice and to punish crime, I shall be 
content ; but as long as I fill the office of High Judge of his 
faithful capital, the King himself cannot take from me any 
of the power with which I am invested, and I shall know 
how to maintain ihis power and my dignity. My life, like 


268 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


that of the King, is in the hands of God, who one day will 
judge him and me.” 

Dom Pedro, on hearing the reply, grew pale with anger 
and shame, and his courtiers and officers advised him again, 
to have the insolent judge hanged without further delay ; 
but Dom Pedro cast such a look upon these eye-servants, 
that they were filled with affright. He exclaimed : 

“ Silence, ye wretches! The Judge is right!” “Go,” 
said he then to his first chamberlain — “go to the High 
Judge and inform him, that Dom Pedro will not hesitate to 
appear before the tribunal, and that I wish him to admin- 
ister the laws in a manner which he can justify before his 
country and his King.” 

The chamberlain delivered his message, and the Judge 
said : “Not only his Majesty, but also the Almighty and the 
King’s subjects will acknowledge the justness of my 
sentence, and therefore I fear nothing. 

The .day appointed for this memorable trial at last 
arrived. Dom Pedro presented himself before the tribunal, 
haughty and stern, but ready and willing to see justice done. 
The High Judge addressed the inferior judges and the 
accuser, and admonished them, not to permit the high station 


DOM PEDRO, THE CRUEL. 


269 


of the criminal to induce them to deviate from their duty, and 
to judge otherwise than their conscience dictated. 

“ Consider,” said he, “ what the consequences would be, 
if those who are appointed by the Almighty, to give laws 
and to maintain them, were permitted to violate them 
without punishment. It is not the King, whom you have 
to judge, but the man , who is guilty of a double murder.” 

He then gave the accuser a sign, and the latter began 
boldly and freely to accuse Dom Pedro, of having in disguise 
endeavored to gain the favor of a young married woman, 
and that, when the injured husband, without knowing him, 
wished to preserve the honor of his family, he, the King, 
had murdered him and his neighbor insidiously , as it had 
been proved Jhat both his victims were unarmed. 

The King started violently, and threw a furious glance 
upon the accuser, when he pronounced the word “ insidi- 
ously.” But the accuser appeared to be perfectly unconcerned 
and continued boldly to expatiate on the horrible circum- 
stances of the double murder, and concluded by calling upon 
the judges, to avenge the guilt of blood, and to punish the 
murderer according to the demands of justice. 

The Tligh Judge then called upon the King, to defend 


270 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


himself, and finding that Dom Pedro continued in his sullen 
silence, because he could bring nothing forward in his 
defence, he appointed some one to defend him. The latter 
did all in his power for the accused, but the evidence of the 

t 

double murder was too clear, and the High Judge passed the 
sentence, that Dom Pedro , convicted of a double murder, 
should be executed with the sword, upon the public market 
place. “ But,” concluded the Judge, “ since Dom Pedro is 
our annointed King, his life must be sacred to us; and we 
therefore alter the sentence, in so far, that this public 
punishment be executed upon his effigy, as a warning, and 
an example to others.” 

And now, Dom Pedro could restrain himself no longer. 
“ Dare to do it, wretch !” he cried, trembling with rage, and 
turning to the High Judge — “ dare it, if you love your 
life !’ and, with this, he left the judgment-hall and hastened 
to his palace. There, however, he issued the express order, 
to obey every demand of the Judge, without asking any 
more for Royal permission, and for three days the King 
locked himself up in the most secluded room of his palace, 
without speaking a word to any one. 

The High Judge commanded that every thing should be 


DOM TEDRO, THE CRUEL. 


271 


prepared for the execution upon the public market-place, 
and sent a summons to the King, to-be present when the 
sentence was to be executed. 

Dom Pedro read the summons, stamped with his feet, but 
said : “ I will be there.” 

On the appointed day, all the inhabitants of Madrid, and 
thousands from the neighboring villages and towns, streamed 
through the streets towards the great market-place, where 
the scaffold, hung with black drapery, had been erected high 
enough to be visible to every one. 

The clock struck the hour, which had been fixed for the 
execution, and from the towers of all the churches resounded 
the solemn peals of the bells, and the procession began to 
move from the court of justice ; first, the priests with the 
vicar-general at their head, then the religious societies, next, 
heralds and the High Judge, surrounded by the other judges, 
and then halberdiers, leading in their midst a horse, upon 
which, covered with a purple cloak, and as large as life, sat 
an effigy, representing the king. The wax face of the figure 
was so faithful an imitation of the King’s, that every body 
recognized it instantly. Soldiers closed the procession, 


272 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


which moved slowly towards the scaffold, where the 
executioner with his assistants was already in attendance. 

The procession stopped at the foot of the scaffold ; the 
High Judge and the other judges ascended a smaller stage, 
which had been erected directly opposite the scaffold, and 
upon which, besides the seats for the judges, was also an 
arm-chair, covered with black cloth, for the King himself. 
The judges had scarcely taken their seats, when the 
High Judge rose again and addressed the assembled populace, 
admonishing them, to keep order and silence during the exe- 
cution of the act of justice, which was about to take place. 
He then gave a sign to the heralds, they raised their staffs 
towards the four-quarters of the heavens, and instantly the 
sounds of trumpets and drums were heard, the sign, that the 
moment had arrived, when justice must have her due. 

Suddenly the populace divided themselves, and thus 
formed a long lane upon the side facing the royal palace, and 
through this the King was seen, dashing upon a coal-black 
horse, towards the stage, where the judges had assembled ; 
having arrived at the steps leading to it, he sprang from his 
itorse, ascended the stage, saluted the judges hastily with a 


DOM PEDRO, THE CRUEL. 


275 

sinister and threatening mien (so much so, that almost all, 
with the exception of the High Judge, lost their courage) 
and threw himself upon the arm-chair which had been placed 
there for him. The High Judge approached him, respect- 
fully, and enquired, “ if he considered the judgment a just 
one or not?” With lowering looks, the King acknowledged 
the justice of the sentence. 

The Judge then made a motion with his hand, left the 
stage, and ascended the platform, whither they also carried 
the effigy of the King, which, until then had been left upon 
the horse, at the foot of the scaffold. The High Judge had 
the figure divested of the purple cloak, and then in the name 
of the law and the King he broke the staff over the head of 
Dom Pedro, of Castille. The effigy was fastened to the 
stool and blind-folded, as if it were a human being. The 
executioner then advanced, lowered his broad gleaming 
sword towards the place where the living king sat, turned 
around, drew back, and, with one mighty blow, he 
separated the head from Dom Pedro’s effigy ; with a hollow, 
rumbling noise, it rolled upon the floor of the scaffold. 
The assembled populace involuntarily sent forth one cry of 


274 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


terror at the boldness of the Judge, for no one had believed 
that he would permit the sentence to be executed. 

But the High Judge quickly ordered, to place the headless 
body into a coffin, advanced a few steps and addressed the 
people in a loud voice : 

“ You have all witnessed an event, to which you will 
probably not find a parallel in the history of the world. 
Dom Pedro, our King, had committed a great crime ; 
forgetting his royal dignity, and the duty of a noble-hearted 
man, he endeavored to seduce the wife of a good and faithful 
subject, and then murdered not only the unarmed husband, 
but also his equally defenceless friend, neither of whom 
imagined that theif King could be a seducer and a murderer.” 

“ For this offence, sentence was passed upon him, and he 
was condemned, to witness the public execution of his effigy, 
as we have not the right to deprive our anointed King, whose 
person must ever be sacred and inviolable, of his life. Dom 
Pedro, of Castille, committed a great crime, whilst intoxi- 
cated with a wild passion ; but this passion having passed 
away, he recognized the power of the law, honored it, 
acknowledged the justness of our sentence and subjected 
himself to it, so that henceforth, no one may think himself 


DOM PEDRO, THE CRUEL. 


27o 


beyond the reach of the law, and that no one might be 
tempted to believe, that he could do wrong without being 
punished. Long life to our just King ; he has atoned for 
his crime, and has given us an example, to subject ourselves 
willingly to the punishment of our laws, if we commit a 
wrong.” 

Thus spoke the High Judge, and the people cried 
enthusiastically, “ Long life to our just King, Dom Pedro !” 

All this time, Dom Pedro had remained sitting in his 
chair, without any motion whatever, and his pale face- 
covered with his hands. Now he looked up and beckoned 
the High Judge to approach. The latter obeyed and was 
followed by a chamberlain, who carried the purple cloak, 
which he offered to the King upon his knees. 

Dom Pedro vrent to meet the Judge, embraced him and 
said : “ May the Lord’s blessing be with you, most noble, bold 
and faithful servant of your master ! You praise me, because 
I submitted to the law and the punishment which it inflicted 
upon me ; but how shall I praise you enough, you, who 
defended the laws in opposition to the King, whom people 
call the “ Cruel.” Hail to you, most just and fearless judge ! 
Wear henceforth this purple whenever you pass judgment, 


276 


FAIRY TALES AND LEGENDS. 


so that you and others may continually be reminded of this 
memorable event.” 

Thus spoke Dom Pedro, the Cruel, before all the people, 
and placed with his own hands the purple-cloak upon the 
shoulders of the High Judge. He also praised the other 
judges, conferred nobility upon the executioner and gave him 
a princely present. His headless effigy he caused to be 
interred before the altar in the chapel of his palace ; and the 
head was, according to his orders, imitated in stone and 
fixed in the corner-wall of the street, where the double 
murder had been committed ; and there, we have been told, 
it is to be seen to the present day. 

[Illustrative of the character of Dom Pedro, is also the 
following anecdote told of him, which I add for my 
own gratification, as well as that of my readers. — C. B. B.] 

• 

A young clergyman, who was very vain and very 
passionate, murdered a poor shoemaker, because the latter 
had not fitted a pair of shoes to please him. Dom Pedro 
was about to give the young priest into the hands of justice, 
but the clergy protested against the exposure of one of their 


DOM PEDRO, THE CRUEL. 


277 


number to a temporal tribunal, threatened excommunication, 
and so excited the common and bigotted people, that Dom 
Pedro had to relinquish the object. The clerical court, in 
order to make a show of justice, passed the following 
sentence upon the young priest : “ That, for the murder of 

the father of a family, he should for a whole year, not be 
allowed to read mass.” 

When the eldest son of the murdered man heard this 
sentence, he way-laid the murderer and killed him. And 
now the clergy raised a great hue and cry, and demanded 
the instantaneous and severe punishment of the murderer. 

“ That is right, and very just,” said Dom Pedro, “ and I 
shall administer full justice, after your own example : we 
therefore decree, that this man shall not be allowed to 
make shoes for an entire year.” 



















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